Listening and encouraging open discussion during meetings can help identify topics that members might find interesting.
You can ask local organisations to speak or offer to host them online.
Topics and speakers could include:
liquor licensing issues: intoxication, drink spiking, minors, advertising and promotions, how to stay inspection ready, checking ID, crowd controllers and security, noise and amenity, dealing with difficult customers. Request a Liquor Control Victoria speaker by emailing lcv.education@justice.vic.gov.au.
armed robbery and sexual assault prevention: Victoria Police specialised units
incidents or policies that reduce alcohol-related harm: encourage forum members to share. Invite a licensee, or police, from a neighbouring town or suburb to present.
keeping licensed venues and customers safe: local WorkSafe officer or you could play a recorded WorkSafe webinar
emergency evacuation and fire safety: local fire brigade
drug and alcohol support programs (how licensed venues can help promote them): local state-funded alcohol and drug treatment programs
planning permits (what they allow you to do, how to get or change one):local council planning department
major events in your area (impacts of the event and working together with licensed venues): event organiser or committee member.
potential campaigns or promotions the liquor forum could start, such as designated driver programs
how the forum can get involved in community projects, not necessarily alcohol related.
products or services that could benefit members and their business, such as preferred suppliers or contractors.
training opportunities such as first aid, Responsible Service of Alcohol or handling difficult customers.
Free stickers are available for liquor forum members.
You can display them in venue windows to let customers and the community know your venue is a member of the local liquor forum.
A forum can work together to agree on any specific aims, actions, objectives and strategies for addressing local alcohol-related problems. It can formalise these in a document called a liquor accord.
A liquor accord document:
is not required, so not all liquor forums have one
must be approved by Victoria Police and Liquor Control Victoria.
Getting a liquor accord approved
Follow these steps to get a liquor accord document approved.
Use our template to create your document or, if you create your own, include as a minimum:
Get the local police licensing inspector to complete this statement:
I [name of the inspector] Licensing Inspector of [name of the police station] have read and approve the draft [name of the accord] Liquor Accord. [Signature and contact details]
Once the document is approved, licensees can sign up to become a member of that liquor accord.
Accord members have the power to ban difficult customers from all venues who are accord members.
If licensees decide not to join as an accord member they:
can still attend liquor forum meetings
cannot participate in banning or receive information about banned customers.
Banning a customer
Members of a liquor accord may decide to ban a difficult customer from their venues.
The accord must only issue a ban:
to minimise harm from the customer's behaviour
if the behaviour occurred in and around licensed venues
for no longer than 12 months.
It is against the law to use or disclose any information you have received about banned customers, except for the purpose of enforcing a liquor accord ban.
Accord members must agree on a banning policy that details the process, including the customer's right to review the ban.
We do not approve your banning policy or require you to submit it to us.
Liquor accord members may want to display a poster promoting the banning policy. It may help deter unwanted behaviour.
