Mr WETTENHALL (Barron River-ALP) (12.41 pm): I rise to support the Gambling and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2009. The amendments to the Liquor Act contained in this bill have been deemed necessary to get the balance right between minimising the risk of liquor related harm and
improving the ability of Queensland's hospitality industries to operate effectively and without unnecessary red tape.
Two of the amendments relate to the new approved managers and the need for them or the licensee or permittee to be available at the premises.

The first amendment removes the requirement for an approved manager to be physically on site during an extended hours trading period between seven o'clock and 10 o'clock in the morning.

The period of trading from 7 am to 10 am, for example during a breakfast function, represents a lower risk to the community than late-night extended
hours trading and therefore such strict conditions for approved managers are not required during the early trading period.

An approved manager will still need to be reasonably available during morning trading between 7 am and 10 am, which means that they must be contactable and within an hour's travel from the premises or a period of time set by the chief executive.  This is consistent with requirements during normal trading hours.

The chief executive will reserve the right to impose licence conditions that require the approved manager to be on site during the 7am to 10 am period for high-risk events or at high-risk venues.

The second amendment will allow the chief executive to vary the amount of time that is considered to be reasonably available for an approved manager or licensee to travel to the premises.

At the moment the travel time cannot be more than one hour. This may be appropriate for most licensed venues in cities where amenities are generally accessible and trained staff abundant.

However, in rural and remote areas, where travel distances are often much greater and qualified staff harder to find, the requirement to be, or have an approved manager to be, within one hour's travel distance from the venue during trading hours can be potentially onerous on small licensees.

The proposed amendment therefore allows the chief executive to increase this time upon application by the licensee. The chief executive will have to consider the locality of the premises, availability of trained staff and the nature and extent of the business conducted under the licence before
approving such an application.

With those comments, I commend the bill to the House.