Small Venue Licences

Mr ODENWALDER (Little Para) (14:11): My question is to the Deputy Premier. How has the introduction of small venue licences transformed the City of Adelaide?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for Consumer and Business Services, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:12): Thank you very much—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The members for Chaffey and Stuart are called to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I thank the honourable member for that question—a very important question actually—and it's one I think the honourable member has expressed some interest in over a period of time. In April 2013, the government introduced the Small Venue class of liquor licence—not, I might add, without some degree of objection by some in the parliament. That of course occurred following consultation with venue operators. Those who are able to cast their minds back these few years that this story goes might recall that the venue known as Udaberri on Leigh Street was amongst the first of this new wave of—

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: They were the pioneers, so to speak, of this style of establishment.

The SPEAKER: It is not a revivalist meeting. The member for Newland does not need to reinforce the Deputy Premier's remarks.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: But it is welcome to have his support.

Mr Gardner: Was he called to order?

The SPEAKER: Yes, he is called to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: What of course happened was that those people, as members might be aware, faced extreme difficulty in getting their licence. At the time, they were subject to a needs test under the old regime and were, in effect, being deep-pocketed by other liquor licence holders nearby—in particular, a certain publican. This cost them a great deal of money, and it actually got to the point where it was a touch-and-go proposition as to whether they were able to get started at all.

That led to a bit of thinking, as a result of which the small venue licence was—over the objection of many—passed into law. Now, only a couple of years later, we have 70 active small venue licences. Bearing in mind that the small venue licence is contained to the commercially zoned precincts of the square mile of the city, that is a significant increase in number. A total of 78 have been granted a licence since the commencement. As at 30 June 2015, there are 50 in existence, so we can see that this type of licence is growing and the number of venues is growing.

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: It is. It is a remarkable achievement, and a remarkable display of investment and confidence in the city. On 3 March 2016, the 70^th small venue licence was granted to Fiefy's Coffee Pty Ltd. in Flinders Street—70^th, that is. This year alone, 12 licences have been granted. These licences have been granted to an array of different types of venues, including an African cafe, a cafe and retail space that also features art exhibitions and underground music, a billiards club, cocktail bar, and a cowboy-themed saloon with the motto, 'Leave your horse at the door', which is very reminiscent of Tarantino sort of ideas.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Agriculture is called to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: As a matter of interest, today on behalf of the Premier I attended a venue called Antica, which is on Morphett Street.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: This is another example—

The SPEAKER: I call the member for Colton to order.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I am trying to talk about the good stories in the City of Adelaide, the great achievements, the entrepreneurs, the businesspeople, and I would suggest to anybody who is interested they should go and have a look at this venue. It is a magnificent venue.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Sadly for me, I had to return here before I could enjoy the repast properly, but this is typical of what's going on in the city: growth, new jobs, entrepreneurs—the sorts of things those opposite don't want to hear about.

The SPEAKER: I call to order the members for Schubert, Finniss and Morialta and I warn for the first time the leader, the deputy leader and the member for Schubert. Leader.