Raise the Bar!

When

28 July 2009 (6pm - 8pm) - Booked Out

5 November 2009 (6pm - 8pm)

Where

Barnet Long Room, Customs House, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay, CBD.

More information

"These free seminars are an opportunity for potential small bar owners to get together and see presentations by Planners, The NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing and Sydney bar owners.

The events will be hosted by Melbourne bar owner and designer Craig Allchin. Craig will present some background to the evolution of the Melbourne bar scene and how he sees it working in Sydney.

Architects, APRA (Australian Performing Rights Association), accountants and the police will be present to answer queries, amongst others."

While there has been some negative press of late regarding the pace at which small bars have opened in NSW (to which we say yes we'd like to see more small bars opening too - though plenty of restaurants have converted over which is also important and we should also consider that the new laws have been in place only a few months in their current form compared to 25 years under the old regime) this article in the Australian highlights the many positive outcomes of the recent legislation changes. It focusses more on the exciting increase in venues providing live music and the subsequent (nascent) resurgence of the scene.

Now that the new licenses are starting to come online, and the State Government has further streamlined the application process, the Raise the Bar team are shifting our emphasis from political engagement to small bar appreciation!.

Replacing the hard working parliamentarians in the column on the left are now bar raising stories, celebrating diversity and creativity in the emerging small bar scene.

Let us know if you have a small bar or fully licensed restaurant we should feature by posting on our blog.

Happy Days

Adele, Mimi, Dave, Jonathan, Andrew and John.

The Raise the Bar teamsters!

Yesterday NSW Planning Minister Kristina Keneally told councils across the state that they can no longer require development consent for small scale live entertainment in pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Read the media release from NSW Planning Minister, Kristina Keneally - “Live entertainment coming to a bar near you”

Read the circular from the NSW Director General of Planning, Sam Haddad - “ Entertainment in pubs, bars, cafe’s and restaurants”

This is really fantastic news, and the minister should be well pleased knowing that amongst the many other issues that the portfolio has to deal with, that she will be making an amazing difference to the cultural life of the state by showing genuine leadership in a challenging area.

Anyone not aware of how culturally destructive to NSW the old laws were should read these article in todays herald:

Rhythm and booze as music returns to pubs
The PoPE is dead, long live the bands and comedians

If the council inspectors want to keep harassing bar owners for having live music and comedy, councils should instead be asked why they didn't  enforce the law fairly. Then, once all the large screens are regulated, they can get back to us.

Well done Planning Minister Kristina Keneally M.P.

Who said politicians aren't funky now!

New Gaming and Racing Minister Kevin Greene M.P. last week introduced the Liquor Amendment (Miscellaneous) Regulation 2008 that streamlines certain aspects of the Community Impact Statement process.

Changes include:

• removing the requirement for a CIS where applicants only wish to operate a restaurant ( as long as you eat whilst you drink)
• replacing the requirement for applicants to serve a notice on local residents for a category A CIS with a requirement to display the notice on the (proposed) premises
• category B CIS  notifications need only be given to the building or strata manager or by displaying notification in the building’s lobby or foyer in the case of high-rise buildings.
• A reduction in the number of occupiers of premises that must be notified as part of the advertising requirements for liquor applications. Where advertising is required, notice must now be provided to occupiers within 50m instead of 100m. (The 100m requirement still applies to applications that require a category B community impact statement.)

We Congratulate Minister Kevin Greene and the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing for their ongoing consultation with the community and making these recent amendments.

We wish them all a well earned rest over Christmas after what must have been a most challenging year.