Licensed venues are being reminded to keep patron safety top of mind during O-Week celebrations, as thousands of university students begin attending social events to mark the start of the academic year.
Liquor & Gaming NSW is asking venues to avoid offering promotions that encourage rapid or excessive consumption of alcohol and ensure to check IDs.
It comes after a pub in Newtown was found to be offering heavily discounted drinks to students attending O-Week (Orientation Week) events at a nearby university.
The venue has since been issued with a notice to restrict the promotion from its previous finish time of 11pm until earlier in the night, when food was still being served.
Liquor & Gaming NSW Executive Director Regulatory Operations & Enforcement, Jane Lin, said community safety needed to take precedence for both licensed venues and students during O-Week.
“Starting university is an exciting new chapter in young people’s lives and certainly an event worth celebrating,” Ms Lin said.
“We just want to ensure that venues keep patron safety in mind during O-Week festivities.”
Past examples of irresponsible liquor promotions intercepted by Liquor & Gaming NSW include:
- A Wollongong hotel offering a $100 bar tab to O-Week students as part of a ‘Back to School’ prize
- A Darlinghurst café serving liquor in giant martini glasses containing the equivalent of eight standard drinks
- A Darling Harbour venue serving shots in buckets
- A Newcastle hotel offering punters the chance to ‘Win Your Height’ in pre-mix vodka cans
As well as monitoring liquor promotions, inspectors from Liquor & Gaming NSW routinely inspect pubs and clubs to ensure licensees are checking IDs and actively working to prevent intoxication.
Irresponsible alcohol promotions are targeted through measures including monitoring the websites and social media channels of licensed venues.
