Committee Details

Bill lapsed

The 56th Queensland Parliament has been dissolved by proclamation dated 6 October 2020. Therefore the Liquor (Artisan Liquor) Amendment Bill 2020 has lapsed.

At some time after the State election, a new parliament will commence and new committees will be appointed. The date of commencement is not yet known.

For bill inquiries, it will be a matter for the new parliament whether to make a fresh referral to a committee of any re-introduced bill. If a new committee continues an inquiry commenced before the dissolution, it can have regard to evidence and submissions received by its predecessor committee.

Updated advice will be provided when more information is available.

The Bill

On 9 September 2020, Hon Glen Butcher MP, Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing, introduced the Liquor (Artisan Liquor) Amendment Bill 2020 (the Bill) and referred it to the State Development, Tourism, Innovation and Manufacturing Committee (the committee) for detailed consideration.

Objectives of the Bill

The policy objectives of the Bill are to:

The Bill amends the Liquor Act 1992 (Liquor Act) to give effect to Government commitments under the Queensland Craft Brewing Strategy (QCBS) and particular recommendations arising from the Entrepreneurial Pipeline Project Report (EP Report). Relevantly, the QCBS and the EP Report identified the need to simplify the liquor licensing process and create market access opportunities for artisan liquor producers.

To achieve the objective of supporting the growth and development of the Queensland artisanal liquor industry, while maintaining appropriate regulatory oversight, the Bill proposes to amend the Liquor Act to do the following:

• create a new liquor licence category for legitimate craft brewers and artisanal distillers (i.e. commercial other – artisan producer licence)
• expand the existing promotional event permit framework
• provide additional authorisations for eligible producer/wholesaler licensees
• encourage the transition of existing licensees to the new artisan producer licence category.

Artisan producer licensees will be authorised to do the following:

• sell their own liquor products and other Queensland artisan liquor products for consumption on the premises
• sell their own liquor products for consumption off the premises
• sell their own liquor products wholesale
• sell their own liquor products online
• apply for a licence condition to sell samples and takeaway of their liquor products at promotional events, subject to volume limits
• apply for a commercial public event permit.

Harm-minimisation obligations under the Liquor Act, such as the requirement to submit a community impact statement with a licence application and develop a risk-assessed management plan, will also apply to artisan producer licensees.

Related Information

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