Under the Liquor Control Act 1988, the Chief Health Officer has the ability to provide an official submission to the Director of Liquor Licensing on applications. The Chief Health Officer can make submissions regarding harm or ill-health caused to people, or any group of people, due to the use of liquor, and the minimisation of that harm or ill-health.
The Director of Liquor Licensing can also ask the Chief Health Officer for a report on harm or ill-health issues related to a specific application. If they choose to, the Licensing Authority also has the ability to require a report from the Chief Health Officer on matters relating to a particular application.
Does the Chief Health Officer have any decisionmaking power in the liquor licensing process?
The Chief Health Officer is not a decision maker in liquor licensing processes. The Director of Liquor Licensing makes the decisions about whether a licence application is granted or if harm minimising conditions are placed on the licence.
Does the Chief Health Officer review all applications for a liquor licence?
Not all liquor licence application types are reviewed by the Chief Health Officer. For example, in 2024-25, of 108 liquor licence applications reviewed, the Chief Health Officer made 35 submissions to the licensing authority to minimise harm or ill health associated with the applications. Applications generally come to the attention of the Office of the Chief Health Officer via Gazette, the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety website (external site) (DLGIRS), written communication from the DLGIRS, or direct contact from a licensee.
Does the Chief Health Officer take a ‘blanket’ approach to submissions on liquor licence applications?
There is no 'one size fits all' approach to liquor licence applications - each application is considered on a case-by-case basis. This is because:
- Each of the features of an application, and the locality in which it is going to operate, can interact differently in terms of potential for harm and/or ill-health.
- Some of the characteristics associated with a venue itself or the locality may reduce the risk of harm, while others may increase it.
These considerations are undertaken for each individual application before conclusions can be drawn regarding the potential for harm or ill-health and the minimisation of that harm.
What information does the Chief Health Officer consider when investigating a potentially high-risk liquor licence application?
A range of information is considered in the investigation process. It is different for each application and depends on what the applicant includes in their application. Considerations can include (but are not limited to):
- Harms or risk factors for harm in a region.
- Harms or risk factors for harm in a town.
- Harms or risk factors for harm in a community/locality in which the venue is/will be located.
- Harms or risk factors for harm/sensitive services in the immediate vicinity of the venue.
- Proposed/existing characteristics of the venue (manner of trade/physical) including but not limited to licence type, manner of trade (trading hours, products sold etc.), patron capacity, nature of the licence and existing practices and/or proposed responses to local issues.
A licensee's application material, relevant international, national and local literature, expert opinion, local and state-based data (availability can vary), local stakeholders and local community, are just some of the sources of information that can be considered when investigating a potential high risk licence application.
Broader research is considered where relevant. The broader research can provide an evidence-based framework for the analysis of the unique circumstances of an application and potential for harm but is only one aspect of the information considered.
What is the timeframe for the liquor licensing process?
The DLGIRS sets the timeframes for the liquor licensing process. The average timeframe from when a licence application is publicly advertised and when submissions are due is generally two weeks for Extended Trading Permits and up to four weeks for new licence applications. This can vary depending on the type of application.
Timeframes for document exchange also vary, but average between 5-10 days for each of the various steps.
Last reviewed: 19-12-2025