Sydney's bars and clubs are facing further licensing restrictions which could see "high risk" venues in NSW paying up to $25,000 a year for liquor licenses, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported today.
A proposal is being discussed in cabinet today with the details to be released to the public tomorrow, which could see venues pay a periodic fee based on factors such as trading hours, capacity and licence type. The higher the risk, the higher the fee. According to calculations by the NSW/ACT Alcohol Policy Alliance, Ivy would pay more than $25,000 a year if NSW adopted a scheme similar to that in place in the ACT. At present the one-off fee for a late trading venue is about $3000.
The proposed scheme comes off the back of a massive wave of media attention on alcohol fuelled vioence in Kings Cross and the Sydney CBD, most recently the 'king hit' attack on Sydney teenager Daniel Christie on NYE, who died a week ago.