Signage requirements for minors in bottle shops and liquor sales areas of supermarkets

In December 2023, Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW) issued an industry alert advising that from 12 December 2023 unaccompanied minors were prohibited from entering or remaining in:

an area related to a packaged liquor licence, and

an area dedicated to the sale of liquor by retail in sealed containers on the licensed premises for consumption away from the licensed premises – such as bottle shops and the liquor sales areas of supermarkets.

Further information on these reforms can be found here.

There is additional information regarding signage requirements for relevant licensed premises in relation to these reforms.

What type of signage is required?

Depending on the type of business, the licensed premises may display either 3L or 9L signage.

This is an image about minors in a premises

3L signage – can be used for the liquor sales area of supermarkets (as defined by section 30 of the Liquor Act 2007).
9L signage – can be used for where unaccompanied minors are not allowed within the entire premises such as bottle shops.

The use of this signage has been included in the:

Is it mandatory to display the signage?

Displaying the signage is not currently mandatory under the Liquor Regulation 2018. However, displaying signage may be part of 'reasonable precautions' taken by the licensee and used as evidence to satisfy the defence to the offence in s.124 of the Liquor Act 2007. Under subsection (6A), it is a defence for a licensee if it is proved that, at the time of the alleged offence, they had taken all reasonable precautions to avoid commission of the alleged offence.

Are there specific areas where the signage needs to be displayed?

Although the new signage is not currently statutorily defined, licensees may refer to the guidance material for comparable existing signage requirements in the Liquor Regulation which require signage to be:

clearly legible and in good condition, and
displayed in the manner and place that a person entering the part of the premises in which the notice is displayed would reasonably be expected to be alerted to its contents.

Will displaying the signage be mandatory in the future?

Yes. L&GNSW intends that the signage requirement will be made mandatory by adding it to the Liquor Regulation later in 2024. Further advice will be provided to industry before these changes come into effect.

For further enquiries regarding signage, please contact us on contactus@liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au

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