The recent amendments to the Liquor Act introduced two new requirements for anyone transferring a liquor licence.

Risk Assessed Management Plan

An application for transfer of a liquor licence must now be supported by a Risk Assessed Management Plan (RAMP) for the premises. The RAMP must contain information, as prescribed by the Liquor Regulations 2002, about the conduct of business at the premises.

The information contained in the RAMP must address areas such as training of staff, surveillance, crowd controllers, measures to minimise noise and adverse impact on the amenity of the locality, lighting, community consultation and how you will ensure conduct of business at the premises complies with the Liquor Act 1992.

The RAMP must be approved by the Chief Executive and an approved copy will be returned to the licensee. Thereafter, the licensee will be obliged to operate the business in accordance with terms of the document

Liquor & Gaming Specialists can provide any licensee with a RAMP which we guarantee will comply with all OLGR requirements. We provide this service on a flat fee basis from $600 plus GST for a low risk licensed premises such as a restaurant with standard trading hours.

For more information on this requirement please download the OLGR Draft Guideline on Risk Assessed Management Plans (RAMP).

Licence Fees on Transfer

A less obvious ramification of the recent reforms is the requirement for an incoming licensee to ensure all licence fees have been paid before the licence is transferred. If the licence fee has not been paid by the due date, the licence will be automatically suspended and may be cancelled if the fees remain unpaid after 28 days.

Anyone applying for transfer of a liquor licence now will have to make a separate application for a Search of the Particulars of the Premises to ascertain whether fees are up to date.

From 1 July 2010 the component of the annual licence fees which relate to compliance history will be due and payable. This additional fee is calculated based on the compliance history in the preceding licence period – 1 July to 30 June. Therefore, incoming licensees are advised to also request details of the compliance history of the premises as any undisclosed adverse compliance could provide a nasty shock for the new business owner at the start of the next financial year.

If the licence fees are not paid by the due date, the licence will be automatically suspended immediately.If the fees remain unpaid the licence will be cancelled after 28 days. A licensee who has not paid the annual fee and continues to sell liquor after 2 March 2009 will be trading while unauthorised and may face severe penalties.

To pay your annual licence fee, download the self assessment checklist from here. Use the worksheet to calculate the annual amount payable and then divide it by two to work out the fee due by 2 March 2009.

Send your cheque payable to Queensland Treasury to:

Office of Liquor, Gaming & Racing
Locked Bag 180
City East QLD 4002

Latest News: At least one licensee has reported paying the fee three weeks ago but receiving a “Final Demand” in the last couple of days. If this has happened to you, we recommend you verify that the cheque has cleared from your bank and if so, immediately contact our office to find out what you can do to rectify the situation.

From 1 January 2009 the position of nominee for a liquor licence will be replaced by the position of approved manager. Anyone who is a nominee for a liquor licence on 31 December 2008 will be deemed to be an approved manager for the licensed premises from that date. However, the amendments to the Liquor Act require the licensee to have an approved manager available or on site at all times the premises is trading. Therefore, to cover the typical trading hours of a licensed premises, most licensees will need two or more approved managers on the roster.

A licensee must take reasonable steps to ensure that an approved manager is available or on the premises during licensed trading hours. During the transitional period from 1 January to 30 June 2009 the Licensing Division will consider the lodgement of an approved manager application as fulfilling this requirement.

The approved manager application forms have been available on OLGRs website for several weeks. Although the forms state that you must provide A copy of current Responsible Management of Licensed Venues (RMLV) and Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) certificates , the Division will accept applications without current certificates – provided the applicant gives an undertaking to complete the training as soon as possible.

Additionally, an employee who lodges an approved manager application before 1 January 2009 may act as an approved manager while the application is processed.

To ensure you can fulfil the new requirements relating to approved managers, we recommend you lodge all applications as soon as possible. To make an application online, go to the OLGR website. For more information on approved managers visit our documents page and download the OLGR factsheets.

On Christmas Eve licensed liquor trading must finish at 12 midnight regardless of whether your permit allows later trading at other times. Licensed gaming machine monitoring operators will disable all gaming machines for 24 hours from 12 midnight on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2008. Liquor bar staff must finish serving at 12 midnight and patrons must finish drinks and leave the premises by 12.30am.

This year marks the final occaion on which licensees with on-premises (cabaret) licences will be allowed to serve until 3am Christmas morning. Under the new legislation coming into force on 1 January 2009, standard trading hours for the new subsidiary on premises (entertainment) licence will be 10 am to 12 midnight and the concession for Christmas trading has been removed.

Bottle shops

Takeaway alcohol can only be purchased up to 12 midnight on Christmas Eve. Bottle shops must be closed on Christmas Day.

Adult entertainment venues

Adult entertainment is prohibited from 12 midnight on Christmas Eve and throughout Christmas Day.

Hotel guests

Alcohol can be provided to in-house guests in their room or in other approved areas of the hotel. On Christmas Day, licensees may only serve alcohol to patrons eating a meal in the dining area of the premises between 10am and 12 midnight. This means that liquor may be served to patrons for one hour before dining, during the course of a meal, and for one hour after completion of the meal.

On Boxing Day, usual trading hours and conditions resume.

New Year’s Eve

On New Year’s Eve, all licensees are permitted to trade until 2am. This applies regardless of your regular approved trading hours.

This means that the bar must finish serving at 2am and patrons must finish drinks and leave the premises by 2.30am.

On New Year’s Eve, authorised licensees may operate gaming machines until 2.30am. Licensees who have approval to trade later than these hours may continue operating until the approved closing time. Any licensee wishing to trade beyond these hours, who does not have current approval, needs to lodge an application for extended trading hours with OLGR before 19 December 2008. OLGR’s head office will be closed from 5pm on 24 December 2008 and will re-open on 2 January 2009.

Liquor & Gaming Specialists Christmas Break

Liquor & Gaming Specialists’ office will be closed for the Christmas break from 24 December 2008, reopening on 5 January 2009.

Updated 4 February 2020

With the introduction on 1 January 2009 of the position of approved manager for licensed premises the position of nominee for a liquor licence will cease to exist.

Who Can Be An Approved Manager?

Current liquor nominees will be deemed to be approved managers from 1 January 2009 and the deemed approval will continue until 30 June 2010. If the individual wishes to continue to be an approved manager after this date, he or she must complete the mandatory training courses, Responsible Management of Licensed Venues and Responsible Service of Alcohol, and submit the relevant application form with supporting documents and approved fee to the Licensing Division before 30 April 2010.

An individual who is currently a Liquor Licence Nominee, Casino Employee, Casino Key Employee, Gaming Employee, Gaming Nominee, Gaming Repairer, Keno Employee Wagering, Key Lottery Employee or Key Monitoring Employee and holds current RMLV and RSA certificates may become an approved manager by applying for a fast-track upgrade.

Any person over the age of 18 who does not fall into the above categories and wishes to gain approval as a manager must complete the mandatory training courses and submit the application form with supporting documents and the prescribed fee to the Licensing Division.

What Are The Requirements Relating To Approved Managers?

While the licensed premises is open during standard trading hours, 10 am to 12 midnight, an approved manager must be on site or reasonably available. Reasonably available is defined as being able to be contacted by the staff on the premises and being able to be at the premises within one hour of being contacted. If the premises is trading outside of standard hours an approved manager must be on site at all times. Some exemptions apply for individual licensees who can be on site or reasonably available at all times the premises is open. Premises classified as low risk do not need to have an approved manager unless they have approval to trade past midnight.

There is no longer a need to maintain an approved manager register. However, the licensee must have a copy of the approved manager’s current RMLV certificate on the premises.

Where Can You Find More Information?

The application forms for approved managers are now available from the OLGR website. Whilst the Licensing Division has indicated it is now able to accept applications for approval as a manager, the application fee has not yet been prescribed. However, we have been told that the fee will be $366 ($521.70 in 2020) or a figure very close to this amount. The OLGR website also outlines the requirements relating to approved managers and the transitional arrangements dealing with nominees.

If you have any specific queries relating to your obligations under the new legislation, please call us on 07 3252 4066 or contact us by email.

Update 8 July 2015 – current application fees and an online form are available on the OLGR Website.

Update 4 February 2020 – removal of reference to Approved Manager Register and addition of information on low risk premises.