Mike Sarquis
Executive Director, OLGR
p: 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
Staff movements at OLGR
On 28 October 2019, we welcomed Victoria Thomson to the role of Deputy Director-General for the Department of Justice and Attorney-General (DJAG) and Commissioner for Liquor, Gaming and Fair Trading.
Victoria joins the Department after leading the Electrical Safety Office. Following Victoria’s appointment, I have returned to my role of Executive Director, Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR), Brian Bauer as Executive Director, Office of Fair Trading and Craig Turner as General Manager, Licensing.
On behalf of OLGR, I’d like to welcome Victoria to the position and thank Brian Bauer for the positive contribution he has made to the organisation while relieving in my role.
I’d also like to acknowledge the liquor and gaming industries who supported me throughout my time as Commissioner and I look forward to continue working with you in my role as Executive Director, OLGR.
Advertising gaming for your venue (including on social media)
When advertising and promoting gaming for your venue, do so responsibly and in keeping with obligations under the Gaming Machine Act 1991 and practices within Queensland’s Responsible Gambling Code of Practice. Some important areas to focus on include ensuring your advertising and promotions involving gaming:
- are not indecent or offensive
- are based on fact
- are not false, deceptive or misleading
- are not dominated by gaming, and
- incorporate responsible gambling messages, where applicable.
I urge you to become familiar with all the legislative obligations and Code of Practice expectations before you implement any advertising campaigns for gaming at your venue. The Business Queensland website provides you with details, plus a helpful refresher course to get you up to speed. You can view the 'complying with the law' for gaming advertising and promotions refresher course at
www.business.qld.gov.au
Let’s all work together to ensure the gaming industry fosters a culture of responsible gambling.
Be aware of fake RSA certificates
OLGR is aware false Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) training course certificates have been provided to employees in the industry.
It appears these certificates were provided to overseas agencies responsible for lodging skilled visas, including the Subclass 407 Training Visa. They are lodged as part of a full visa application and as supporting documentation for the relevant visa subclass.
The certificates are provided to host organisations or sponsors, in this case, hotels or restaurants, to allow the individual to start work or training that involves serving or supplying alcohol.
In some instances, individuals are unaware the training provider used was not accredited and that they have been provided with false documents.
When assessing if RSA certifications you receive are legitimate, you must ensure:
the training was delivered by a registered training organisation, and
it is a Statement of Attainment (statements issued interstate are valid).
A Statement of Attainment does not have an expiry date. If you need help to determine if the documents you receive are legitimate, you can contact the approved trainer listed on the certificate. Further information on RSA training and certification can be found at
www.business.qld.gov.au/rsa
Apply for festive season extended training
If licensees are considering extending their trading hours over the festive period, it’s time to consider submitting a one-off extended trading hours permit.
An application for an extended hours permit must be made at least 21 days before the day of the event, and applications submitted less than 21 days before the event will not be processed.
A one-off extended trading hours permit can be used to trade:
- prior to 10am and are limited to four dates per calendar year
- between 12 midnight to 5am, are limited to six dates per calendar year and must be for a special occasion.
The Liquor Act 1992 defines a 'special occasion' as:
- a unique or infrequent special public event of local, state or national significance. Examples of special public events include a local music festival or a televised international sporting match involving an Australian team or
- a private function not open to the public, such as a wedding or birthday.
On New Year's Eve, all licensees are permitted to sell or supply liquor until 2am on New Year's Day. This applies regardless of your regular approved trading hours. This means that the bar must finish serving at 2am, unless the premises is currently approved to trade beyond 2am. Without approved post-2am trading, patrons must finish drinks by 2.30am.
New Year's Eve and Australia Day have been determined as special occasions by the Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming. Licensees who want to apply to extend their trading hours to any time between 2am and 5am on these days will not need to provide evidence of a private function. However, please note, you may only apply for one extended hours permit a month.
The Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming may only grant an extended trading hours permit that she believes satisfies the criteria. For more information, go to Liquor-related permits at
www.business.qld.gov.au
ID scanning and digital IDs
In Queensland, digital Australian driver licences are considered an acceptable proof of age under the Liquor Act. This means they can be used by patrons of licensed venues across Queensland.
Some digital IDs are not currently compatible with Queensland ID scanning systems which means you need to manually enter a patron’s name and date of birth.
At this stage, Scantek version 1.5 scanners can scan the Australia Post Keypass in Digital ID but only if the scanner is connected to the internet. This is because the scanner sends the information obtained from the QR Code to Australia Post to be verified.
Venue staff are required to check that the digital ID is valid, as they would with hard copy ID. When checking digital ID, staff should:
- compare the photo with the person presenting the ID
- check that the date of birth confirms the person is over 18
- identify the security features of each type of ID and use the appropriate verification techniques.
Apps can also be downloaded to verify each digital ID and the digital ID currently in use also have in-built security features to verify them. A 'shake-to-animate' feature on the digital South Australian driver's licence will animate the screen and display the time and date to show that the licence is not a screenshot. The Australia Post Keypass in Digital iD™ has a reanimation feature on the front screen as well as a QR code that refreshes every 5 seconds.
Staff can refer to the support material provided for their ID scanner or contact their Approved Operator to find out which digital IDs their ID scanner supports.
For more information go to Digital ID at
www.business.qld.gov.au
Stats report now available
Our Liquor and Gaming Statistical Report 2018-19 has been published. The report provides an overview of figures relating to the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation’s liquor, gaming, compliance and harm minimisation activities in 2018–19. Where relevant, comparative data from previous years is shown to highlight areas of industry trends, growth and change.
You can find the report on the Department of Justice and Attorney-General website at
www.justice.qld.gov.au
Save the date, 1 January 2020—online link opens for excluded persons report
From 1 January 2020, an online link will open to allow you to report your gaming exclusions data for the period 1 July to 31 December 2019
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/exclusions.
Please phone 3738 8333 or email gamingstatistics@justice.qld.gov.au if you need help completing your report, which is due by 17 January 2020.