Compliance for liquor licensees in the Brisbane City Council area (post-1am trading)

If you are a liquor licensee that trades after 1am in the Brisbane City Council (BCC) area, additional compliance requirements apply to you under the Liquor Act 1992.

You must also:

• provide sufficient security
• keep an incident register
• install closed-circuit television (CCTV) at entrances and exits
• responsibly promote alcohol and happy hours
• prevent irresponsible drinking games and competitions.

Exempt businesses

You are exempt from additional compliance in the BCC area if your liquor licence meets any of the following conditions:

• your premises is only authorised to trade after 1am on New Year's Day
• your premises is a detached bottle shop
• part(s) of your licensed premises is used principally for residential guest accommodation.

Additional compliance for BCC licensees

Security providers for licensed venues

Brisbane venues that trade past 1am must comply with minimum security staff numbers. For this reason, licensees commonly hire professional security firms to provide crowd control at their venue.

To comply with minimum crowd control rules in the BCC area, you must have on premises:

• 1 security provider for each 100 patrons or part thereof up to 500 (i.e. 1 crowd controller for 100 patrons, 5 crowd controllers for 500 patrons)
• at least 1 additional crowd controller for each 250 patrons or part thereof, after 500 patrons.

Learn more about working with security providers.

CCTV for licensed premises

Licensees in the BCC area must have CCTV at each entrance and exit of the licensed premises that is ordinarily used by patrons. Equipment must meet minimum requirements – as noted in section 142AH of the Liquor Act 1992 – and be recording from 8pm.

The CCTV guide is useful in setting up CCTV. This also outlines how to comply with storage and access to surveillance footage. Maintaining CCTV equipment at licensed premises must be conducted daily and 6-monthly. Download a copy of the CCTV equipment review register and use it record your CCTV equipment checks.

You are required to clearly display relevant video surveillance signage to alert patrons that they are being recorded. The following signs are available to download, print and display on your premises:

• This venue is under video surveillance poster and LCD screen sign
• This venue is under video surveillance and search by metal detector poster and LCD screen sign
• Video surveillance, metal detector and management can refuse entry poster and LCD screen sign.

Incident register

Late-trading licensees in the BCC area must keep an 'incident register' that details:

• incidents where a person is injured
• incidents where a person is removed from a premises
• signatures of crowd controllers and staff involved in the incident.

The incident register must not be accessed by anyone at the premises other than an investigator, licensee of the premises, crowd controller or staff involved in the incident, or an approved manager of the venue.

If an incident is recorded in the crowd controller register you are not required to also record it in the incident register.

Post-incident management information is included in the CCTV guide.

Alcohol promotions and happy hours

Licensees must conduct alcohol promotions and 'happy hours' in a responsible manner. Prohibited happy hour activities that exist in the BCC area include:

• a happy hour that is more than 2 hours between 7am and 9pm
• a happy hour that is more than 1 hour between 9pm and 1am
• a happy hour or part of a happy hour after 1am
• more than 1 happy hour on a day, without at least 1 hour between the end of each happy hour and the start of the following happy hour
• a happy hour that starts before 9pm and ends after 9pm.

Read our alcohol advertising and promotions guide to learn more.

Drinking competitions and games

The Liquor Act 1992 requires that licensees not encourage irresponsible or reckless alcohol consumption. If you are authorised to trade between 1am and 5am within the BCC area, the Liquor Act directly prohibits you from conducting competitions or games that:

• involve the consumption of alcohol as the competition
• offer free or discounted liquor as a prize.

Acceptable competitions and games
Types of competitions and games you are permitted to conduct within the BCC area include:

• buying a product to receive 'scratch' card to win merchandise, food or take away alcohol
• buying 4 or less standard alcoholic drinks to receive an entry into a non-liquor prize draw
• incentives for staff of licensed premises to promote brand switching
• trivia night, karaoke, talent quest
• prizes of promotional products other than alcohol, such as food, accommodation, T-shirts,
• key-rings, stubby holders.
• prizes of packaged alcohol meant for consumption off the premises.

Prohibited competitions and games
Examples of types of games or competitions that would be prohibited in the BCC area include:

• buying a product to receive 'scratch' card for chance to win alcohol for consumption on the premises
• 'last man standing', 'all you can drink', 'skolling competition'
• incentives for staff of licensed premises to encourage patrons to drink more alcohol
• competitions where the prize is a bar tab
• competitions involving consumption direct from a yard glass, jug or other container.

The Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) assists licensees to comply with the legislation; however, we do not pre-approve competitions, games or other activities or provide legal advice about particular scenarios.

Also consider...

• Find out about networked ID scanning at licensed venues.
• Find out about trading hours for liquor licensees.
• Learn about the specific alcohol limits applicable to some Aboriginal communities and Torres Strait Islander communities.
• Read the Liquor Act 1992.
• Contact Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation.