Perth : Small Bars Approved in 2011 = GTFO

"There hasn't been a single small bar license approved for the Perth CBD or Northbridge area in 2011."

When the Western Australian liquor laws were modified in 2007, to enable budding entrepreneurs an easier path to opening a "small bar", I didn't expect the reality of the 2011 outcome. What was promised was the potential for a landscape of smaller premises, with lower capacities, sharing the growing number of patrons that were beginning to choke the often problematic large capacity beer-barns that Perth has known for decades. There was even an advertising campaign. I'm pretty sure it mentioned Melbourne. The gist was that lane-ways would be "activated", and a number of "funky" small bars would be allowed to open, finally giving Perth residents a genuine choice of where to meet for a "sophisticated" experience with quality wines, spirits, beers, and food options. Did you fall for it? Call me an optimist, a glass half full kind of guy, but I fell for the promises hook, line, and sinker.

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Perth : So You Want to Open a Bar? LOL!

"Yes, people might get drunk. That's what people do at bars."

With Perth's population growing at approximately 100 people EVERY DAY, you would think it would be in the public interest to open a few more bars here and there. In Perth, the reality is, your chances of opening a new small bar or tavern are very, very slim. Sit down, pour a drink, settle in. Have you checked the rather sobering liquor licensing decisions made over the last few months? Here's a summary: DENIED. Essentially, every liquor license application hinges on this:  "if the application is granted, harm or ill-health might be caused to people or any group of people due to the use of liquor". Yes, people might get drunk. That's what people do at bars. I swear I'm living in Bizarro World. Anyway, on top of that, if your application is denied (it will be), you probably won't be able to re-apply for three years. Meaning, you only  have one shot at getting it right. Between September 2008 and November 2010, the applications for twenty-two new small bars were denied. However, in December, 2010, things took a very drastic turn for the worse. Read on, to see how some of Perth's most respected restauranteurs, hoteliers, and entrepreneurs have been denied their one shot.

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