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The Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation (VCGLR) is responsible for regulating businesses focusing on the people, premises, products and promotions involved in supplying gambling and liquor.
Ms Catherine Myers, Chief Executive Officer for the VCGLR said for the regulator to effectively minimise harm to the community, the VCGLR focuses on types of harm its statutory powers are best suited to targeting.
“Regulatory power is not held solely by the VCGLR in respect of the gambling and liquor industries,
There are a diverse number of bodies and groups that the VCGLR co-regulates with to achieve positive outcomes for the Victorian community.
“We actively look for opportunities to partner, collaborate and share information with other co-regulators, such as Victoria Police and local government, because it improves our effectiveness and reduces potential duplication.”
In 2015-16, the VCGLR was set an official target of 20 joint operations by the Victorian Government and has already exceeded the target with 31 joint operations conducted by the end of February 2016.
Ms Myers said the second quarter of the year saw a jump in the number of joint operations, with a large number of community, cultural and sporting events taking place during the warmer months of the year.
Ms Myers said the VCGLR will continue to work with Victoria Police and other regulators to conduct joint inspections of licensed premises.
“It is about achieving high levels of voluntary compliance with gambling and liquor laws by setting clear expectations, encouraging the right behaviour and taking strong enforcement action where required.”
In December 2014, during a joint operation between the VCGLR and Victoria Police in the Geelong CBD, a Geelong bar was observed to have a male patron drunk on the premises.
The patron was observed entering and exiting the venue a number of times and at one point fell over and smashed his bottle of alcohol. In attempting to stand up and steady himself, the patron kept banging into a nearby power pole.
The manager of the venue was spoken to by inspectors and subsequently the licensee was issued an infringement for allowing a drunken person to be on the licensed premises.
VCGLR inspectors working jointly with Victoria Police attended a racing club event as a part of the 2015 Spring Racing Carnival.
During covert observations on the licensed premises, inspectors observed an individual whom they suspected to be a minor. After observing the suspected minor inspectors approached the individual, identified themselves and requested identification. The suspected minor produced identification however, upon further questioning by inspectors and police the individual admitted to being a minor and that the identification produced was false. Victoria Police removed the individual from the venue.
The licensee was interviewed and a penalty infringement notice was issued for permitting an underage person on licensed premises.
The VCGLR is working with the licensee to improve event processes to mitigate the possibility of minors accessing licensed premises and using false identification this 2016 Spring Racing Carnival.
