Addressing the harmful use of alcohol - WHO Western Pacific Region

Addressing the harmful use of alcohol : A guide to developing effective alcohol legislation
In New Zealand, licence application fees are charged. Premises are licensed for one year,
and then renewed for three years if there appear to be no problems. However, there is
concern that the proportion of fees returned to local governments does not cover the costs of
monitoring. The current low administration fee costs businesses only around New Zealand
$5 a week over a three year renewal period. This may have contributed to the proliferation of
small convenience stores and cafés licensed to sell alcohol (Hill 2003b). In the United States
of America, some communities have reduced the number of alcohol outlets near student
campuses by increasing the cost of alcohol licences (Hill 2003a).
To allow for regular review and adjustment, an annual operating fee can be referred to in the
legislation with the amount set through regulations.
Management certification and training
Licensing legislation in a number of jurisdictions (e.g. New Zealand, New South Wales, Victoria)
require licensees and/or managers to undergo approved training on legal requirements and
host responsibility. New Zealand law requires a trained, certified manager or licensee to
be present during all hours of operation of on- and off-licensed premises. The Scottish law
allows its licensing boards to notify a requirement for training, which must be undertaken
within three months.
Training for licensing inspectors and others with statutory responsibilities will also be an
important part of implementation and the ongoing operation of the Act.
Monitoring and enforcement
The effectiveness of the licensing system and other laws related to alcohol depends on the
extent to which they are regularly monitored and seen to be enforced. This is addressed in a
separate section below.
Designing alcohol licensing legislation
The table below sets out standard and recent components of a licensing system for the sale
of alcohol to the public with a check-list of options and issues in the design of legislation. It
includes offences by non-licensed persons supplying alcohol. This approach may also be the
best place to include any laws restricting alcohol marketing. Drink-drive laws are included in
legislation regulating driving and other traffic and transport policies.
This strategy is based on the licensing systems that have been established in many mature
alcohol markets. They share a similar bone structure but are fleshed out in different ways that
reflect different institutional and juridical arrangements and particular policy histories.
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