BOOZE-SERVING venues in NSW should pay much higher licence fees more frequently to help pay for the cost of alcohol abuse, health and community groups say.
Alcohol abuse costs the NSW government $1.029 billion annually but only $1.09 million is collected from licensees, the NSW/ACT Alcohol Policy Alliance (NAAPA) said.
It argues in favour of annual "risk-based licence" fees, substantially higher than the one-off $5000 application fee paid by some large establishments.
A hotel licence costs $2000 but an additional application fee is charged for extending trade beyond midnight.
The highest fee, though, for a late-trading authorisation is $3000, which allows premises to keep the grog flowing between 2am until 5am.
Venues should be charged according to their capacity and opening hours, Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education, chief Michael Thorn said.
Under the NAAPA scheme, for example, the Sydney CBD mega-club The Ivy would have to pay $25,184 per year, the Penrith Panthers Leagues Club would pay $16,790 while the Coogee Bay Hotel would pay $20,387, each year for their licences.
"Liquor licenses should never have been granted in perpetuity," Mr Thorn said.
"The paltry one-off application fee that licensees are currently paying is not enough. An annual fee would return both equity and accountability to a system severely lacking in both."
In its submission to the statutory review of the NSW Liquor Act 2007 and the Gaming and Liquor Administration Act 2007, the NAAPA also advocates earlier closing times, late-night lock-outs and the abolition of 24-hour licences.
"Studies have shown that assaults occur most frequently at licensed premises after midnight," the submission states.
"Standard closing times for all on-licence premises across NSW from Monday to Saturday should be midnight, with extended trading venues limited to 3am and lock-outs no later than 1am."
The NAAPA also wants small bars - those that have patronage limits of 60 - to be governed by "the same rules and regulations as other licence types".
"One quarter of the total costs of alcohol abuse to the NSW community are criminal justice costs," the NAAPA submission says.
"The modest one-off licensing application fees currently paid by NSW liquor licensees do not even come close to recovering these substantial costs."
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