This week the New South Wales Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) has once again enforced a mandatory closure on Sydney’s Imperial Hotel in Erskinville. This is the second time the venue has been shut down in a little over a month as a result of serious ongoing licence breaches. The hotel was ordered to close from 7pm on Friday 24 July until this past Monday after inspections during the ...

The Office of Liquor, Gaming & Racing (OLGR) has announced plans to conduct more inspections of licensed venues across the Snowy Mountains region for remainder of winter ski season.  The increased presence follows after OLGR’s first phase of compliance checks detected a range of serious breaches. Licensed venues across the Snowy region have been cautioned after 12 breaches relating to intoxication and non-compliance with licence conditions were uncovered during inspections ...

The Imperial Hotel in Erskineville was forced to close over the weekend after the Office of Liquor, Gaming & Racing (OLGR) and NSW Police found a number of serious breaches at the venue. The order forced the venue to close its doors from last Friday (19 June) until Monday (22 June), after both regulatory bodies found bar staff to be openly consuming illicit drugs while working and patrons intoxicated and ...

  The Liquor Stores Association NSW (LSA NSW) supports the NSW Government’s view to ban the sale of powdered alcohol in NSW, and calls on other State and Territory jurisdictions to follow suit. LSA NSW Executive Director Michael Waters said, “There is no place in Australia’s responsible drinking culture for a powdered alcohol product to exist. “We notified Deputy Premier Troy Grant in March 2015 when powdered alcohol was approved ...

The awaited release of the Federal Government’s May budget on Wednesday has sparked much discussion and speculation among the alcohol industry over the past week. The Australian National Retail Association (ANRA) says it is encouraged by recent reports, which suggest that the budget will begin to address the integrity of GST to goods and services purchased online and offshore. However, ANRA CEO, Anna McPhee said the association will be waiting ...

Somewhat of a media frenzy has stirred this week after the release of FARE’s (Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education) ‘Annual Alcohol Report’ Wednesday night. Examples of claims made by the report include those such as the “alcohol industry makes political donations to influence policy”, according to participants, as well as that the “alcohol industry targets people under the age of 18”. While contentious claims made by the report have ...

The Liquor Stores Association (LSA) of NSW has been notified that a number of anonymous audits were undertaken by the Central Coast Health, Police Local Area Commands and the Office of Liquor, Gaming & Racing in retail outlets on the Central Coast in July and August. The bodies sent secret shoppers aged 18 and 19 without any ID into 72 outlets (approx. 74 per cent of all packaged liquor licences ...

Recent times have seen the rise of influential food and drinks bloggers - industry insiders with substantial knowledge and a passion for their subjects have set up blogs to educate consumers and retailers alike. But why have food and drinks bloggers gained so much in popularity? People no longer just want a nice bottle of wine, they want to know where it’s come from, how it was made and to ...

The Liquor Stores Association (LSA) of NSW has begun a review into a recent report released by the Government body - NSW Bureau of Crime, Statistics & Research (BOCSAR). LSA NSW says the report’s findings on the impact of the 2014 lockouts and last drinks laws in the state are contradictory. The report – ‘Lockouts and last drinks: The impact of the January 2014 liquor licence reforms on assaults in ...

It’s safe to say that a craft beer ‘explosion’ has, well and truly, happened. And while its re-birth should be applauded - considering the state of craft brewing pre-1980 - its presence has grown so large and so quickly, that it has begun to unnerve some, and somewhat of an ‘anti-craft movement’ has appeared. Thankfully the views of the movement are not those of the bigger commercial brewers – not ...