Your Guide to Trading Hours during the Holiday Period

by bqmedia

As bowls clubs prepare for a variety of functions and festivities during the Christmas and New Year period, we thought it was timely for a quick reminder on the trading restrictions.

While your bowls club is approved for certain trading hours every day, your liquor licence specifically states that this excludes Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

Restrictions on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve

  • Christmas Eve
    The sale and supply of alcohol must finish at 12 midnight on Christmas Eve. Bowls club’s patrons are still allowed the 30-minute grace period after 12 midnight to finish their drinks, but must leave the premises by 12.30am on Christmas Day.
  • Christmas Day
    Bowls clubs may re-commence serving liquor between the hours of 10.00am and 12 midnight on Christmas Day. However, liquor must only be sold in conjunction with meal areas of the premises that are “ordinarily set aside for dining”. Bowls clubs can sell liquor to patrons one hour before, during, and up to one hour after the patron has their meal. Gaming is not permitted on Christmas Day.
  • New Year’s Eve
    On New Year’s Eve, bowls clubs are permitted to trade until 2.00am without having to obtain specific approval for an extended trading hours permit.

Temporary Early Morning Trading

Temporary one-off extended hours permits can be obtained by bowls clubs for early morning trading prior to 10.00am, but these are limited to four permits per year.

Due to the unique nature of sporting activities and early morning starts at bowls clubs, there is the presumption that liquor sales are needed between 7.00am and 10.00am, which exempts bowls clubs (and golf clubs) from needing to demonstrate community demand for liquor during these hours. Other club licensees must demonstrate need for these hours, and non-club licensees can only obtain approval to trade for functions between 7.00am and 9.00am.

Temporary Late-Night Trading

While standard liquor licence trading hours in Queensland are 10.00am to 12.00am, 7 days per week, bowls clubs can seek approval for late night extended hours to trade until 2.00am (or until 3.00am if located within a designated Safe Night Precinct).

Temporary one-off extended hours permits can be obtained for late night trading and are limited to six permits per year. These permits will only be granted for ‘special occasions’ which must be either:

  • a unique or infrequent special public event of local, state or national significance, such as a local music festival or a televised international sporting match; or
  • a private function not open to the public, such as a wedding or birthday.

Please note: If your bowls club wishes to apply for a temporary one-off extended hours permit, the application must be lodged with the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation at least 21 days before the event date.

The Mullins Hospitality team can help your bowls club with its obligations when it comes to restrictions during the holiday period and applying for temporary extended hours for special events.

Please contact Matthew Bradford at Mullins Lawyers at 07 3224 0353 for further information.