“Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving.
They make mistakes, but they don’t quit”. - Conrad Hilton

 

The past 12 months have not only been one of the most productive years in the collective history of the Australian Hotels Association (WA), it has also been one of the most challenging and most rewarding.

No two singular events demonstrate the necessity for the Association more than the issues that arose from the Varanus Island gas explosion and the complex and turbulent implementation of the new Liquor Control Act. But these two events do not define our role or the enormous amount of work that has also been undertaken on the many issues requiring action and support for the hotel and hospitality industry.

Representation 

At both Federal and State levels, the liquor industry has faced an onslaught of new challenges at the hands of regulators.

In Western Australia we have witnessed the perceived misuse of alcohol by the minority become a policy issue affecting the majority. In particular, the WA police service has taken aim at on-premise liquor retailers and placed responsibility for a reported 80 percent of all police attendances in our hands.

Over the past 12 months, there has been an ardent attempt to impose a plethora of restrictive measures, such as lockouts, curfews and bans across the industry.

Providing much needed public services in regional areas, or working in conjunction with the industry to take a harder line on anti-social patrons has not been acceptable avenues of action for regulators. Instead, the industry has been targeted unfairly, indiscriminately and without due consideration for tangible strategies needed to change the perception of those incapable of accepting community standards.

The AHA has vigorously represented the industry at local, State and Federal levels across a range of issues, including:

The AHA also provided members with written or telephone advice and representation on 3,411 occasions.

 

Relevance - Liquor Control Act

In May 2007, significant changes to the Liquor Control Act 1988 were introduced in WA. New legislation heralded dramatic change in liquor licensing including the introduction of:

Many of these changes had the potential to significantly impact the ongoing viability of existing licensed premises and their implementation needed to be well-managed over a period of time.

Throughout the implementation process the AHA liaised with the State Government, the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor and members to ensure the transition from the old Liquor Licensing Act to the new Liquor Control Act was as smooth as possible.

 To assist members with the transition, the AHA:

• Developed a detailed training program specialising in RSA and liquor licensing legislation, and increased its exposure to regional areas to ensure all members had access to the accredited training courses
• Developed a liquor licensing guide, which provided members with detailed information relating to the new legislation and templates of all new required forms such as incident registers
• Distributed fact sheets outlining key changes to legislation
• Liaised with the Department of Racing, Gaming and mi Liquor to ensure consistency in messaging was delivered to the industry
• Maintain a focus on the impact of the introduction of the legislation
• Provided members with guidance for applications
• Continued consultation with the Director of Liquor Licensing to address any logistical issues arising from the introduction of the legislation

 

Relevance - Gas Crisis

Like September 11th 2001 and the collapse of Ansett, we were confronted by an operating environment dominated by uncertainty. Western Australia had 30 per cent of its natural gas supplies amputated over night, the State Government went into crisis mode and the industry focussed on minimising the impact of the gas shortage on the most important stakeholders; our customers.

The gas shortage exemplified the important role the hotel and hospitality sectors play in Western Australian society and also reinforced the absolute commitment to high service standards exhibited and practiced throughout the industry.

The role of the AHA throughout this difficult period was to access and provide our members with vital information from which they could use as a foundation to plan their ongoing operations, protect their individual corporate reputations and lobby the State Government and major gas suppliers to ensure the industry had a voice and was afforded due consideration.

Given such situations that arise outside of the control of individual members, it is imperative that the industry is represented by an organisation that can take up the cudgel on its behalf. The AHA ensured any public scrutiny, or any appeals made via the media on behalf of the industry were directed through the Association without compromising individual organisations.

 The gas crisis is an example of why AHA membership is so important for businesses operating in the hotel and hospitality sector. It was our responsibility to ensure that the concerns of an industry the State Government was prepared to dismiss were presented in such a fashion that they were impossible to ignore.

Results

The AHA continues to deliver effective representation on legislations, regulations and ensures the needs of the industry are presented to all levels of government. These services save our members thousands of dollars in consultant fees, staff costs and time.

We continue to spearhead innovative training programs and initiatives designed to address labour shortages. We also maintain an individual focus with our members by providing them with advice specific to their requirements.

Some of the key areas we delivered successful outcomes for the industry included:

• Increased the number of taxis on duty during industry peak hours
• Introduced industry ID system – liquID
• Lobbied for changes to the approved manager provisions, which will allow individuals to be accredited and their qualifications to become transportable between venues
• Ensured hotel and hospitality sector was represented during gas crisis
• Introduced AHA Liquor Licensing Guide
• Halted police plans for introduction of widespread, blanket lockouts on licensed premises
• Assisted members with more than 3,400 IR enquiries
  

We look forward to serving the industry over the forthcoming 12 months and continuing to work tirelessly for an industry that delivers so much to the State of Western Australia.