SANDS LIFESTYLE VILLAGE

The Hon. S.G. WADE (14:30): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Consumer Affairs a question about liquor licensing and retirement villages.

Leave granted.

The Hon. S.G. WADE: The Sands Lifestyle Village, which is a secure community of 280 people at Seaford, is fully fenced with key card-operated, monitored security gates. The Sands Lifestyle Village Residents Association is a group of residents of the village that promotes the social life of the village.

The association was advised that, even if alcohol is not being sold at association events but is brought by residents to those events and a cover charge is levied for food or entertainment, the association needs a limited club liquor licence pursuant to section 36(3) of the Liquor Licensing Act 1997.

The association applied for such a licence, which was refused yesterday. A resident of the village has contacted me to indicate his objection to the Sands community needing to get a licence to consume alcohol within its own community. Other South Australians do not need a licence to consume alcohol in their home or with their friends in their neighbourhood, so why should retirement village residents be treated differently? Does the minister consider appropriate the application of liquor licensing laws to regulate social interaction within closed residential communities? Will the government review the act to deal with this anomaly?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister Assisting the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Energy) (14:31): As members would be well aware, the commissioner's authority and the Liquor Licensing Court is quite independent of me. It would be most inappropriate for me to interfere with those decisions.

The Hon. S.G. Wade interjecting:

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I am sure the honourable member is not suggesting that I intervene in that respect. I am completely unaware of this particular event. It would have gone to the court and been dealt with using the appropriate processes. To the best of my knowledge, residents of the village have not written to me and/or raised their concerns with my office. I am unaware of this issue and I do not have any background on it.

These decisions are made independently of me. Obviously, the principles behind these sorts of decisions are about public interest, balancing a community's needs, and the importance of communities being able to have social events and a good time, with the broader community's interests. I know that is always a tricky balancing act. I do not know of this particular example. I am not aware of what submissions were made against the issuing of this licence.

I am more than happy, if the honourable member gives me some details, to follow it up in order to ensure that a proper process was adhered to. I am sure the honourable member would not want me to interfere with the independent court's decision.