ANGER remains rife among local liquor outlets over huge fee increases intended to curb alcohol-fuelled violence.
Pubs, wineries and sports clubs argue aggressive drunks are mainly a city-based issue, though the State Government insists the problem is growing across regional Victoria.
Family-run cellar-door operations are among the hardest hit by changes, which were introduced last year after a spate of brutal attacks in Melbourne.
South-west politicians have widely criticised the move . Western Victoria MP Peter Kavanagh, speaking in Parliament last week, said hotels were important social centres that deserved support.
"Nobody objects to liquor licensing fees that fairly reflect the real security risks of a venue," he said.
"What we object to is liquor licensing fees that discriminate against smaller venues and that impose an excessive burden on many smaller venues throughout Victoria, to the point that some of them are facing the prospect of going out of business."
Port Fairy Cricket Club secretary Phillipa Hodgens said she was disappointed that her organisation, which serves alcohol for about nine hours each week, would be treated in the same way as a venue open from 10am to 11pm daily.
"It's not as though we can't pay it, but it's an added expense that you don't need," she said.
"It's just not fair when you look at somewhere like the Warrnambool Football Club with its poker machines; it's trading seven days a week and we're paying exactly the same amount as they're paying."
The club's licence cost $397 this year, an increase of 917 per cent on its 2009 charge of $39.
Mrs Hodgens said the club had been given a chance to request a fee review late last year but found the process complex and time-consuming.
"We don't serve people until they're rolling drunk or causing a hassle or anything like that. It's just that after the game the blokes sit around and have a beer," she said.
Dennington resident Ted Rafferty runs Rowans Lane Wines and said the fee hikes were illogical.
He has recently endured a lengthy battle with Liquor Licensing Victoria (LLV) in which the winery was banned from serving alcohol at more than six private functions annually.
"Suddenly it stopped us from operating the way we'd been going for a couple of years," he said.
The matter was resolved on the same day as the revised fee structure was introduced, with the winery's licence fee increasing from $80 to $890.
"It's also their rigidity and the way they classify people," Mr Rafferty said of LLV.
"You can be squeezed into this classification because there's no other one that fits the way you operate your business."
Barrett's Winery owner Rod Barrett said he couldn't understand why his cellar-door sales were linked to city brawls.
"They've just jumped on it. It's a bit ridiculous ," he said. "We are responsible with the alcohol. We're more the tourism and food thing; we're not the wine or alcohol-guzzling outlets."
Rebecca Harrison, a spokeswoman for Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson, said the new fees reflected the true cost of policing and regulating venues.
, labelling it a risky stunt that will weaken small communities
Consumer Affairs Minister Tony Robinson has announced that a review into some country pubs' liquor licences will be conducted to determine if new charges are excessive.
South West Coast MP Denis Napthine said the licensing body's decision to reconsider increases for Melbourne music venues including the Tote Hotel was frustrating for regional residents.
"What we should be doing is we should be having a risk-based system that is genuinely based on licensed venues that have a poor track record," he said.
"There ought to be rewards for those who have a good track record. It shouldn't be a one-way street."
. As a business we'll just pay it, we'll just cop it
"For the Opposition to pretend that alcohol-related crime and violence is not a problem across the whole of Victoria shows they are out of touch with Victorian families, who clearly want more police and compliance authorities with better powers to keep our pubs, nightclubs and streets safe," she said.
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter