Late Night Trading Code of Practice (Late Night Code) Review

Do you go out to, live or work near Adelaide’s late-night venues? Have your say and help inform the Late Night Code Review.

What's being decided?

Consumer and Business Services is undertaking a review of the Late Night Trading Code (Late Night Code) of Practice under the Liquor Licensing Act 1997.

The aim of the review is to:

• assess whether the Late Night Code has successfully reduced alcohol-related harm in and around licensed venues
• assess whether the Late Night Code has resulted in any unintended consequences; and
• provide recommendations (if any) for amendments to the Late Night Code.

You now have an opportunity to put forward your views on the Late Night Code. Two surveys have been developed to help gather your views:

• Community and Patron Survey: open to those who attend, live or work near licensed venues and for anyone who has a view about the current laws.
• Industry Survey: open to those who work at, manage, or own a venue with a liquor license.

Background

The Late Night Code was introduced in October 2013 following community concern about late-night, alcohol-fuelled violence in and around licensed venues.

The Code applies to most licensed venues that trade past 2am and its measures include:

• drink marshals and first aid officers in venues after 2am
• a ban on drinking alcohol on footpaths after 2am
• a ban on ‘shooters’, ‘doubles’, ‘laybacks’ and similar types of drinks after 2am
• a ‘lockout’ which stops people from entering or re-entering venues after 3am (excluding the Casino and restaurants).

In July 2015, a review of the Late Night Code was undertaken. Following the review, a number of amendments were made which came into operation in February 2016. No changes were made to the 3am late night restricted entry.

The 2016 Review of the South Australian Liquor Licensing Act 1997, prepared by Hon Tim Anderson KC (the Anderson Review) further considered the effectiveness and adequacy of the State’s regulatory framework. In considering the lockout, Mr Anderson recommended that the Government give consideration to a further review of the ‘Lockout’ (in two or three years’ time) given the relatively short period of operation to that date. The Late Night Code was further amended in November 2019 to reflect the legislative amendments resulting from the implementation of the broader liquor licensing reforms that followed the Anderson Review.

A comprehensive review of the Late Night Code (including the lockout) is now being undertaken as recommended by the Anderson Review, following delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Get involved

Find out more:

• read the Late Night Trading Code of Practice
• read the Liquor Licensing Act 1997

Have your say by:

• taking our Community and Patron Survey
• taking our Industry Survey
• emailing a submission to: CBSReforms@sa.gov.au
  Please note that submissions (including name and address details) may be made publicly available. If you do not wish for your submission, or any part of your submission, to be made public please mark your submission ‘Confidential – Not for Publication’ and provide your reasons for this. Please be aware that, unless a request for confidentiality is made, information contained in any submission may be referred to publicly or published. Any material identified as ‘confidential’ is still subject to the Freedom of Information Act 1991 and, while efforts will be made to keep the material confidential, in some circumstances it may be disclosed under that Act. Where disclosure of information may identify you, attempts will be made to consult with you before the documents are disclosed.

What are the next steps?

Your feedback and comments from the consultation will be considered by Consumer and Business Services and will help finalise the Late Night Code Review. A copy of the review will be made available via this website.