Venues Unlocked Program helping NSW live performance venues to get their groove back
Outdoor dining to stay on the menu
Rolling to the end – Regulatory Roadshows 2023
Planning your music festival
GambleAware to offer peer support for those experiencing gambling harm in 2024
Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority visit Newcastle
NSW casino regulator making strides in best practice regulation
Hospitality and Racing holiday closedown
Live performance venues across our cities and regions can now access funding and support for industry best-practice sound management, and to build the capacity for live performance, delivered by Sound NSW and the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner.
The Venues Unlocked program will generate greater vibrancy in communities, with two streams of funding and support:
To learn more, register for an information session on the Soundproofing Grants and Live Performance Venue Program which are taking place online across dates this week.
Learn more
Temporary arrangements for outdoor dining on private land and registered clubs will be freed up on a permanent basis from January 1 to avoid disruption to businesses over the busy holiday period. Under these changes, business will have permanent access to a faster and more cost-effective pathway instead of having to complete a detailed and costly development application.Department of Planning and Environment released for public consultation a new complying development pathway to make outdoor dining permanent for patrons and businesses using private areas such as courtyards or bowling greens for dining. Consultation on the requirements has closed and they are being refined following public feedback which called for improvements to protect neighbour’s amenity and patron safety.There are no changes to the rules for outdoor dining on public land such as roads and footpaths, which the Government already allows as exempt development.The proposed changes will fulfil the Government’s election commitment to make outdoor dining permanently available across NSW.
Read more about the changes
The delivery of Hospitality and Racing’s Roadshow in Kiama on 14 November sees the conclusion of this year’s program. The event was well attended by licensees and other industry representatives from the greater south coast region.
The Roadshows commenced in Newcastle back in May, with Minister Harris launching the program. Hospitality and Racing’s executive team went on to deliver four more Roadshows including Bathurst, Fairfield, Sydney (Moore Park) and finally Kiama.
Nearly 600 industry stakeholders attended these events, and our executive team has travelled over 1,000 kilometres to engage with these communities. This program has provided the vehicle for industry to have direct contact with Hospitality and Racing’s executive team and hear about the organisation’s future focus, while also offering the opportunity to network with their peers. 24-Hour Economy Commissioner Mike Rodrigues also joined the recent Sydney event with high praise from industry.
Feedback from industry strongly supports the continuation of the program in 2024 which will commence on 19 March 2024 in Walgett.
View the 2024 roadshow dates
It is best to begin planning your music festival at least 12 months before as Council approval times vary.
You can find information about planning your festival here. There is information on what to do 12 months, 6 months and 3 months out.
Submit an early notification form to Liquor & Gaming NSW at least 120 days before your festival. If your festival is declared a subject music festival, you will be required to have an approved safety management plan.
Start planning
People seeking gambling harm support through GambleAware will soon be able to consult with those with lived experience, thanks to a new service adding to the suite of free support already offered including general and financial counselling, online chat as well as education and other resources.
The Office of Responsible Gambling has appointed The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI) to build the capacity of GambleAware providers to offer the Peer Support option from January 2024. Peer support is a non-clinical option for people seeking help to address gambling harm and a key component of the stepped care approach of the GambleAware treatment and support model.
Find out more
The NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) has visited the Newcastle region to gain insights into regional issues as part of its Regional Engagement Strategy. It follows successful visits to the Northern Rivers and Albury earlier in the year. While in Newcastle, board members and staff spent time meeting with community representatives and key local organisations.
ILGA Chairperson Caroline Lamb said regional visits were important to ensure ILGA was responsive to the unique needs of each community it served.
Learn more about the visit
The NSW Independent Casino Commission (NICC) recently earned a global accolade for regulatory innovation as well as launching a new gambling harm minimisation committee. The NICC was awarded the winner of Regulatory Innovation 2023 by the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR), the NICC being recognised for its work in modernising casino regulation. The prestigious award was presented at the IAGR Awards Gala in Botswana last month.
The NICC also launched the Gambling Harm Minimisation Advisory Committee last month. It is comprised of four members with personal and professional experience of gambling harm who will provide advice to reduce the risk of gambling harm in NSW casinos.
Also in October, the NICC initiated the first casino-specific meeting of Australian regulators. The meeting was held in Sydney with Liquor & Gaming NSW in attendance, and participants discussed shared regulatory issues, streamlining touchpoints, and potential areas for collaboration.
Read more
In line with NSW Government policy, Hospitality and Racing will be closed from Monday 25 December 2023 to Friday 5 January 2024, inclusive. Regular compliance activity will continue during this time.
Our licensing and customer enquiry functions will operate at a reduced capacity during business hours, and will be closed for public holidays and on Wednesday 27 December 2023. Please also allow extra time for processing of licence applications and amendments during this period.
Missed an issue? Read previous issues of our newsletter.
Subscribe to our Hospitality and Racing newsletter.
