28 February, 2020: Picture this. A woman parks on a busy CBD street. She walks into retail premises where a restaurant and a convenience store are co-located. To the right, she can take a seat and enjoy a meal with a glass of wine. To the left, the convenience store is not even permitted to sell the customer an unopened bottle of wine, let alone a glass. All in the same store.
It’s not a hypothetical. There are real-life case studies of this absurd anomaly in liquor laws open and trading in Australia today.
The Australasian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS) has called for states and territories to recognise the imbalance in liquor regulation to promote competition and reflect society’s current needs.
“It’s 2020 but Australia’s liquor laws are stuck in the 1930s. Liquor retail reform is long overdue in Australia with existing laws failing to reflect the way Australians live their lives today,” AACS CEO Jeff Rogut said.
“Consumers can buy alcohol around the clock from drive-thru outlets, through home delivery services and even off the supermarket shelf. Most bottleshops are owned by the one of the two major supermarket chains. Preventing convenience stores from participating in this market is not slowing the growth of the industry.
“The arguments against permitting convenience to participate in this market have already been wholly debunked.
“Privately, politicians across the country and the political spectrum have agreed in meetings with AACS that there’s no credible reason for convenience stores to be excluded from being able to compete in the packaged liquor market.
“These products are already widely available and all the existing laws ensure is a cartel-like dominance on the market by the majors.
“The only consistent reservation politicians have expressed is the lack of votes in reform in this area. This will change eventually so it will be interesting to see which state or territory is first to recognise that deregulation is not only logical and fair, but necessary to reflect 21st century Australia.”
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has previously labelled dry-zone laws – which require residents to vote on new liquor license applications – as “completely archaic”, in a sign that Governments are – however slowly – recognising that the way liquor is responsibly sold demands reform.
“Securing the right for convenience stores to sell packaged alcohol has long been on the AACS agenda and we recognise that efforts to secure reform in this area, irrespective of how obvious the need, is a long game.
“AACS has been the voice of Australia’s convenience industry for 30 years and we’re in it for the long haul,” Mr Rogut said.
Jeff Rogut
Chief Executive Officer
Australasian Association of Convenience Stores
Ph: +61 467 873 789
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