The Victorian Government is offering to reimburse fees for those who wish to serve alcohol to soccer fans at irregular hours as they tune in to games for the FIFA World Cup this November and December.
Minister for Consumer Affairs, Gaming and Liquor Regulation Melissa Horne said Victoria is the natural home of sporting events in Australia.
“We’re making it easy for football lovers to come together and watch the Socceroos battle it out in the FIFA World Cup finals this year,” she said.
“We’re supporting local hospitality businesses as they continue their recovery from the pandemic, while giving Victorians more opportunities to watch home-grown heroes like Aziz Behich and Jamie Maclaren take on the world.”
Businesses are urged to get their applications in as soon as possible to allow up to six weeks for it to be processed in time for the first game in the early hours of 21 November.
The Socceroos are set to face reigning champions France, five-time World Cup qualifiers Tunisia and tournament dark horse Denmark in the group stages.
These exciting clashes often run outside the trading hours of a venue’s usual liquor licence – which means they are required to apply for a temporary licence to serve alcohol past 1am.
Venues who apply for a licence to trade later will still be subject to a strict assessment by Liquor Control Victoria, who will assess carefully any risks to community amenity and safety when deciding whether to grant a liquor licence extension.
Licensees are required to operate their venue in line with the obligations and conditions on their liquor licence, which focus on minimising harm.
This includes ensuring the responsible service of alcohol, supplying patrons with free drinking water and not allowing drunken or disorderly persons to be on the premises.
The rules that apply to holders of liquor licences are varied – Victorian businesses are encouraged to head to vic.gov.au/liquor-licensing for further detail and to determine the correct licensing option for them.
