New grog rules may effect Muster | Gympie Music | Music Reviews, Concerts and Bands in Gympie

MUSTER ON: The 25th anniversary Muster is shaping up to be the biggest and best ever.

NEW liquor regulations next month will give government officials extra-ordinary new powers to clamp down on festivals and community events, including the Muster, the Dingo Creek Jazz Festival and the Gympie Show.

A spokesperson for Fair Trading Minister Peter Lawlor said yesterday that the new powers would mainly be targeted at young people and would give officials the right to clamp down on “excessive alcohol consumption and unacceptable alcohol-fuelled behaviour.”

Although existing now only in draft form, it was expected they would be implemented from July 1.

And despite public submissions having closed last Friday, Muster co-ordinator Brian Sansom yesterday said media inquiries were the first he had heard of the new rules.

New liquor regulations would empower State licensing officials to ban sales of full-strength beer, spirits and bottles of wine.

However, Mr Sansom said any crackdown on the Muster could make matters worse.

He did not expect any problems and thought police would support his view that Muster crowds are generally well behaved.

And he said that, despite claims of consultation, his first knowledge of the new rules was when he began to field media inquiries.

“I've heard that they called submissions, but we certainly weren't aware this was happening.

“So we know as much as what's in the media,” he said.

“If they did affect the Muster, which we hope they won't, and if people couldn't drink normally, they would drink in the camp grounds, where there would be no control.

“This would be worse than having people doing as they do now, drinking measured amounts in a controlled licensed area.

“Total licenses over the grounds mean families can stay together, even while one or two family members enjoy a drink, which is better than separating families and by locking drinkers up in a set area.”

A prepared statement from the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing yesterday said the rules were a “response to growing concerns of excessive alcohol consumption and unacceptable alcohol-fuelled behaviour at large community events, especially those targeted at young adults. All applications for major events are already subject to high levels of scrutiny. The focus is on minimising harm caused by alcohol abuse.”

Licensed premises and their surrounds will be safer after the launch yesterday of the Gympie Liquor Industry Action Group. See full story in tomorrow's The Gympie Times.