01_QHA_July_Online

q u e e n s l a n d h o T E L S a s s o c i a t i o n 

j u l y 2 0 2 1 e d i t i o n 

QHA 2021 

AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE 

THEY’RE BACK AT LAST 


OUR NIGHT OF NIGHTS

Bernie Hogan with the Hotel Industry Rising Star, Lucas Evans of Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotels and Residences. 

BUDGETS AND OTHER WORKS OF FICTION... 

GOVERNMENTS 

ACROSS THE COUNTRY 

ALWAYS PROMISE 

POSITIVES ON BUDGET 

NIGHT, WHAT WE NEED 

TO SEE IS ACTION ON 

THESE IDEAS. 

This past week I had the opportunity to discuss the Queensland Budget with both 

the Premier Annastacia Palaszchuk and Treasurer Cameron Dick. Unsurprisingly, they 

are both well aware how vital the hotel and hospitality industry are to the ongoing 

prosperity of our state – I wouldn’t let the chance slip by to remind them! 

As with all budgets at a government, company or even at a household level, the 

numbers are largely a best-guess situation. All the extra study and research simply 

means that you have more data to inform your assumptions on what is the best guess. 

2020 should always be used as a reminder that all plans and budgets melt rather 

quickly under intense heat. 

To be fair, the budget has some solid positives for our industry. The airline attraction 

fund is to continue which is vital to keep tourists flooding into Queensland once 

international borders are open - and, the infrastructure spend, simply enables more 

Queenslanders to earn a wage and then participate in our economy through food, 

beverage and entertainment spend. Small business was highlighted many times as 

well – and let’s not forget pubs and hotels are more often than not small, family-owned 

businesses that toil every day serving their communities. 

Maybe it is having been around politics for a long time, or having read too many 

economic forecasts but most budgets rarely get me excited. This is for one reason – I 

am outcomes focussed. Governments across the country always promise positives on 

Budget night. What we need to see is action on these ideas. Get bureaucratic delays 

removed, stop squabbling over which Government hasn’t paid their share or who gets 

to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony – Queenslanders don’t care. In our industry, as 

in so many others, all of the businesses, large and small, will continue to try to turn a 

profit and employ Queenslanders – and they need all the help they can get. 

BERNIE HOGAN 

QHA CHIEF EXECUTIVE/EDITOR 

QHA REVIEW | 3

q u e e n s l a n d h o T E L S a s s o c i a t i o n 

j u l y 2 0 2 1 e d i t i o n 

THEY’RE BACK AT LAST 

OUR NIGHT OF NIGHTS 



o u r c o v e r : 

Hall of Fame winners 

the Comiskey Group 

took home eight 

awards on the night. 


3 EDITOR’S LETTER 

J U L Y 2 0 2 1 e d i t i o n 

5 CONTRIBUTORS 

6 NEWS 

QHA 

Level 14, 270 Adelaide Street 

Brisbane, Queensland 4000 

GPO Box 343 

Brisbane, Queensland 4001 

Phone: 07 3221 6999 

1800 177 594 

Fax: 07 3221 6649 

Web: www.qha.org.au 

Email: info@qha.org.au 

Office Hours 

8.30am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday 

President 

Mr Tom McGuire AM 

Senior Vice President 

Mr Richard Deery 

Vice Presidents 

Mr Scott Armstrong 

Mr Brad Fitzgibbons 

Mr Matthew Coorey 

Chief Executive and Editor 

Mr Bernie Hogan 

www.qha.org.au 

16 FEATURE: 

O’REILLY’S RAINFOREST RETREAT 

30 INSIGHTS: 

ROB COMISKEY 

40 ACCOMMODATION UPDATE 

48 ROYAL FAMILY: 

THE ROYAL HOTEL HARRISVILLE 

52 TOP DROP 

54 A CRAFTY BUNCH 

60 WINE & PUB TALK 

62 TRADE DIRECTORY 

64 PARTNERS & CORPORATE MEMBERS 

QHA REVIEW | 4 

QHA REVIEW is published by the Queensland 

Hotels Association ABN 54 878 166 941. 

All information is correct at time of going to press. 

The publishers cannot accept responsibility for 

errors in articles or advertisements, or unsolicited 

manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. 

The opinions and words of the authors do not 

necessarily represent those of the publisher. All 

rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole is 

strictly prohibited without prior permission. 

EDITORIAL & ADVERTISING 

For all editorial and advertising queries: 

Simon Cross 0413 698 630 

qhareview@qha.org.au

DAMIAN STEELE 

QHA Industry 

Engagement 

Manager 

A hospitality industry 

professional with over 

30 years’ experience 

in liquor, gaming and 

operations. Damian 

has a strong focus 

on compliance and 

legislation. 

ROSS TIMS 

QHA Training and 

Safety Manager 

Ross manages the 

development and 

delivery of industry 

related training courses 

and the provision of 

workplace health and 

safety services to 

QHA member hotels 

and other hospitality 

venues. 

PAUL ST JOHN-WOOD 

QHA Membership Officer 

Paul is the face of the 

Association to many QHA 

members as he travels the 

length and breadth of the 

state visiting, advising and 

assisting publicans. 

JUDY HILL 

QHA Accommodation 

Division Manager 

As a professional 

advocate for the 

accommodation sector 

of the hotel industry, 

Judy advises and 

represents members 

on matters including 

tourism legislation, 

marketing strategy, 

risk management and 

airline regulation. 

JOANNA MINCHINTON 

QHA Employment 

Relations Manager 

Joanna has spent her 

career developing a 

broad knowledge and 

skill base, providing 

formal representation 

in jurisdictions such as 

Fair Work Commission, 

the QIRC, and the 

ADCQ. 

THE HON SHANNON 

FENTIMAN MP 

Attorney-General and 

Minister for Justice 

Shannon Fentiman 

is the Labor member 

for Waterford in the 

Queensland Legislative 

Assembly. She is also 

the Minister for Women 

and the Minister for the 

Prevention of Domestic 

and Family Violence. 

VICTORIA THOMSON 

Commissioner for 

Office of Liquor and 

Gaming Regulation 

Queensland 

Victoria is responsible 

for the regulatory policy 

and strategic direction 

of product safety, 

licensing, compliance 

and enforcement 

activitiestoprotect market 

integrity and keep 

Queenslanders safe. 

CURT SCHATZ 

Managing Partner, 

Mullins 

With over 30 years’ 

experience in property, 

liquor and gaming law, 

Curt is recognised 

as a leader in this 

field. He advises 

pub, club, nightclub, 

restaurant, resort and 

accommodation venue 

owners and operators. 

BRENDAN O’FARRELL 

Chief Executive 

Officer, Intrust Super 

Brendan is responsible 

for overall management 

of the fund and 

providing advice to the 

board of directors. He 

passionately believes 

education is critical in 

super due to the everchanging 

nature of the 

industry. 

JOHN ROZENTALS 

Wine Writer 

John Rozentals is a 

freelance writer who 

has penned travel, food 

and wine articles for 

a range of Australian 

newspapers and 

websites including our 

very own QHA Review. 

NICK BAINBRIGGE 

State Manager (Qld) 

Aristocrat 

Nick has a proven 

history in wholesale 

liquor, electronic 

gaming, and hotel and 

restaurant operation. 

He now heads up the 

state team for one 

of Australia’s leading 

manufacturers of 

gaming machines. 


NEWS 




The best and brightest of Queensland’s 

Hotel Industry were celebrated in fine 

style on June 7 at the 28th Queensland 

Hotels Association (QHA) Awards for 

Excellence ceremony. 

More than 1400 people attended the 

ceremony at the Brisbane Convention 

and Exhibition Centre compered by 

Pat Welsh and Sofie Formica. 

A total of 49 awards were handed out 

on the night, including Hotelier of the 

Year to Sunshine Coast Hotels Pty 

Ltd’s Scott Armstrong. 

QHA CEO Bernie Hogan said the hotel 

industry had embraced the opportunity 

to celebrate their survival and their 

successes of the past 12 months. 

“Nominations were slightly down due 

to COVID-19 but the standards were 

still incredibly high,” Mr Hogan said. 

“The Awards recognised the 

quarantine hotels for their contribution 

to the community too. 

“We had metropolitan and regional 

winners from all over the State, 

including bistros in Cairns and 

Ingham.” 

CONGRATULATIONS 

TO OUR WINNERS 

Best Bistro Metropolitan 

The Caxton Hotel 

Best Bistro Regional 

The Bluewater 

Best Deluxe Accommodation 

The Inchcolm By Ovolo 

Best Detached Bottleshop 

Bartletts Tavern 

Best Draught Beer 

The Charming Squire 

Best Entertainment Venue 

Sandstone Point Hotel 

Best Environmental & Energy 

Efficiency Practise 

Howard Smith Wharves 

Best Family Dining 


Best Gaming Venue 

Metropolitan 

The Island Gold Coast 

Best Gaming Venue Regional 

Shamrock Hotel 

Best Hotel Accommodation 

or Pub-Style 

Accommodation 

Porters Plainland Hotel 

Best Hotel Bar 

Accommodation Division 

Emporium Hotel South Bank 

The Terrace 

Best Hotel Bar General 

Division - Metropolitan 

The Charming Squire 

Best Hotel Bar General 

Division – Regional 

Exchange Hotel Kilcoy 

Best Hotel Group Operator 

C Q Hotels Group 

Best Keno Venue 

Porters Plainland Hotel


NEWS 


Best Marketed Hotel 

The Prince Consort Hotel 

Best Marketed Hotel 

Accommodation 


Best Meeting & Events Venue 

Eatons Hill Hotel 

Best Mid-Range 

Accommodation 

Oaks Cairns Hotel 

Best Outdoor Non-Enclosed 

Facility 


Best Redeveloped Hotel 

Accommodation 

Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel & 

Residences 

Best Redeveloped Hotel 

General 

The Cavill Hotel 

Best Restaurant 

Accommodation 


Signature Restaurant 

Best Restaurant Metropolitan 

Port Office Hotel 

Best Restaurant Regional 

Lees Hotel Ingham 

Herbert Valley Steakhouse 

Best Retail Liquor Outlet 

Bracken Ridge Tavern 

Harry Browns 

Best Sporting Entertainment 

Venue 

The Club at Parkwood Village 

Best Suite/Apartment Hotel 

Avani Broadbeach Residences 

Best Superior Accommodation 


Best TAB Licenced Venue 

The Island Gold Coast 

Chef of the Year 


Paul Lochel 

Employee Excellence in Service 

- Accommodation Division 

Sea World Resort 

Reece Dawson 

Employee Excellence in Service 

- General Division 

The Prince Consort Hotel 

Eric Rehu 

Front of House Employee of the 

Year - ACCOMMODATION 

Sea World Resort 

Debby Huckstepp 

Front of House Employee of the 

Year - GENERAL 

The Alliance Hotel 

Jordan Mallett 

Hotel Industry Rising Star 

Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel & 

Residences 

Lucas Evans 

Outstanding Community 

Service & Achievement 

Barron Valley Hotel 

Responsible Service - Alcohol 

Pig ‘N’ Whistle West End 

Responsible Service - Gaming 

The Prince Consort Hotel

NEWS 


C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

Hotel of the Year Regional 


Hotel of the Year Metropolitan 


Hotel of the Year Accommodation 


Hotelier of the Year 

Scott Armstrong 

CMY 

K 

HALL OF FAME 


Best Themed Bar 

The Walrus Club at Regatta Hotel 

Best Entertainment Venue 


Best Suite or Apartment Hotel 

Meriton Suites Southport 

Best Restaurant – Hotel 

The Boatshed at Regatta Hotel 

Best Industry Training Initiative 

Hilton Brisbane

Simply Bar Solutions 

Simply Stainless has a simple philosophy 

– Quality, Availability & Value. 

A range of modular stainless steel 

bar and benching solutions 

manufactured to the highest 

specification and backed by our 

unique Lifetime Warranty.

NEWS 

PUBS, POTS & PROFITS 

Tropical Mackay was the location for the latest Pubs, 

Pots & Profits event, which was held at the Shamrock 

Hotel on the 18th May. 

Attendees enjoyed presentations on Social Media 101, 

Emerging On-Premise Beverage Trends, Draught Beer 

Wastage, Food Trends and Beyond Facial Recognition 

– an interesting insight into the world of CCTV facial 

recognition technology. 

The Member for Mackay, Julieanne Gilbert MP, also 

addressed the group. Ms Gilbert shared the story of 

her family’s historical pub ownership within the Mackay 

region, before she took questions from the floor as 

part of the Politics in the Pub segment. 

With more than 50 attendees, the competition for 

the Perfect Pour competition was always going to be 

tough, but pitting father and daughter against each 

other made it tough for the CUB Brewery Fresh Team 

to choose their favourite! In the end it was announced 

that the Koumala Hotel had taken home the honours 

but exactly who poured the Perfect Pour 

from the venue will remain a mystery! 

Thank you to all attendees and to our 

event partners: Carlton & United 

Breweries, PFD Food Services, 

Cooking The Books, Celebrate 

Digital and Vix Vizion. 


NEWS 

STUDENT VISA 

CONDITIONS 

There was good news for the hospitality industry on 

the Student Visa front last month after meetings with 

hotel industry leaders and the Minister for Migration 

Alex Hawke MP helped secure greater access to 

students. 

After AHA CEO Stephen Ferguson appeared in front 

of the Joint Standing Committee on Migration in 

Sydney the minister’s office advised that the current 

20 hours per week cap on International Students 

would become uncapped in the next 12 months, and 

hospitality would be listed as a critical sector for the 

purposes of the 408 Temporary Activity Visa. 

These two items had been on the QHA’s priority list 

and the organisation had been working closely with 

the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) and Tourism 

Accommodation Australia (TAA) to support the 

changes. 

QHA CEO Bernie Hogan said the win was good news. 

“These two items have been our short-term priority 

immediate requests and have been granted in full, 

although we are still waiting for the final detail,” Bernie 

said. 

BRING THE STADIUM 

TO YOUR VENUE 

Foxtel has secured the rights to more than 50 different 

sports which provides year round coverage for 

venues. 

With the 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership and 2021 

Toyota AFL Premiership heading towards the finals 

Foxtel has every game of every round live and adbreak 

free during play. 

When the finals are over and footy is finished for the 

year Foxtel has every match of the Vodafone Ashes 

Test Series live on FOX CRICKET. 

For day time trade EPSN continues to show the best 

of the United States sports. 

To find out how to bring Foxtel to your venue, contact 

Foxtel Business on 1300 765 866. 

UTOPIA’S 

MONITORING SYSTEM 

IS DELIVERING THE 

FUTURE OF GAMING 

UTOPIA’s new monitoring and gaming system is 

the first to be approved in over two decades and 

offers venues the latest in network technology. 

home of the 

Get in Touch! 

www.utopiagaming.com.au 

1800 200 201

NEWS 

STRONG RESULT 

FOR PUPS 

Living a Life Beyond Fear was the theme 

explored by Australian big wave surfer Mark 

Mathews as the guest speaker at this year’s 

Smart Pups Fundraiser Luncheon held at the 

Paddo Tavern on April 22. 

The annual event, organised by Craig Harley of 

IGT, raised more than $82,000 for the Smart 

Pups Assistance Dogs Organisation based on 

the Sunshine Coast. 

Smart Pups trains autism service dogs, seizure 

response dogs and multi-purpose assistance 

dogs to support children with special needs. 

All Blacks Legend Andrew Merthens shared 

his story too and ARIA Hall of Fame inductee 

John Paul Young was on hand to provide the 

entertainment. Ben Dobbin took the microphone 

as MC and Donna Lynch kept things moving as 

the day’s Host. 

The annual event is well supported by the hotel 

industry with major sponsors including McGuire’s 

Hotels, Lion, Yalumba and Coke. 

To find out more about Smart Pups and their life 

changing work, see www.smartpups.org.au 

QOINING A COMMUNITY 


In the 90’s Bartercard was a big thing for some. Now, 

with the move to digital currency’s Qoin, the team 

behind Bartercard, have taken their system online 

building a new community of businesses willing 

to accept Qoin tokens in lieu of cash from other 

businesses and consumers signed up to the program. 

At the time of writing more than 27,000 businesses in 

Australia and New Zealand have started to adopt the 

digital currency platform 

A hospitality example provided by Qoin is that of 

The Rusty Barrel, a Bar on the Gold Coast, that was 

struggling to juggle cash flow, manage debt and 

attract customers. 

The Rusty Barrel attracted new customers via free 

Qoin directory ads, plus word of mouth and Facebook 

recommendations from merchants, agents and others 

from the Qoin community. 

In addition, Qoin paid for entertainment such as live 

gigs and trivia nights. It also covered graphic design 

work for marketing, the website and menus. 

While fresh produce is sourced from local farmers’ 

markets using Qoin, owner Billy Crean also recently 

engaged with a Qoin friendly local butcher. 

He has estimated he has over $500 each week in 

costs where he is no longer spending cash, and this is 

rapidly increasing. 

As with anything new, there can be pitfalls, and this is 

where Mick Robinson from Building Tuner works with 

venues to ensure that the strategy for adopting Qoin is 

the right one. 

He says “venues starting to use Qoin need a strategy 

that leverages their under-utillised capacity and targets 

the specific needs of that business. An open slather 

approach can become overwhelming and detract from 

the benefits.” 

Qoin holds an Australia Financial Services Licence, and 

is built on a secure, scalable and robust blockchain 

which was an initiative of J.P Morgan and Microsoft. 

As a utility coin, it is backed by real goods and 

services in a growing merchant ecosystem designed 

to give it intrinsic value. 

Any venue wanting to source new customers with no 

joining or ongoing fees can contact Mick Robinson of 

Building Tuner at mick@buildingtuner.com.au or 

0422 218 375, for a detailed discussion on how Qoin 

works, and to develop a strategy for how Qoin could 

be implemented at your business.

NEWS 

SETTING THE 

BENCHMARK IN 

BARGARA 

With a vision to create a pub like no other, leading 

design and construction firm Paynters have certainly 

stayed true to their word. 

The Bargara Beach Hotel has risen from the ashes 

(literally), recently transformed into a standout venue 

for the Wide Bay community after a devastating fire 

tore through the heritage listed building in late 2019. 

Paynters were tasked to rebuild and revamp this 

iconic local hub, which eighteen months later, is now 

home to a brand-new café and sports bar, vibrant 

cocktail bar, gaming room, bistro deck and a state-ofthe-art 

commercial kitchen. 

Working collaboratively with Paynters Design 

Manager Scott Salmon, the hotel’s management 

team had an incredible appetite for change – making 

significant upgrades to the setting and atmosphere, 

with locals absolutely thrilled with the new coastal 

feel. 

The interior features are truly stunning, with hanging 

ferns, pastel tones and timber accents - a testament 

to Paynters design partners at Cayas Architects. 

The open deck offers alfresco dining with ocean 

views, with the hotel now holding up to 500 patrons, 

compared with the previous 300-person capacity. 

The pub has been designed as a unique offering for 

locals and tourist alike, with diverse areas across the 

footprint, catering for all occasions. 

A community favourite is the inclusion of a kids play 

area adjacent to the beer garden, which has seen 

many families to come down and enjoy the space 

with their children since the official opening. 

The pub has been resurrected with care, with no 

stone left unturned. From the intricate details of the 

interior rope screening (involving 500 linear meters of 

custom designed rope) to sourcing specific lighting to 

ensure the region’s local turtle habitat was preserved 

– the end goal was a collaborative, community-driven 

development. Mission accomplished.

FEATURE95YEARS IN 

THE MAKING

WHEN O’REILLY’S RAINFOREST RETREAT 

MANAGING DIRECTOR SHANE O’REILLY SAYS 

ITS “THE BEST YEAR WE’VE HAD BY SOME 

DISTANCE” – IT’S WORTH TAKING NOTE. 

The O’Reilly’s have been looking after visitors 

in their Canungra resort in one way or another 

since 1915. That makes the past 12 months 

the best result in more than 95 years. 

“We’ve been flat out since we re-opened on 

June 12 (2020),” Shane said. “We’ve been at 

90 per cent occupancy.”

FEATURE 

SHANE SAID WHEN THE DOORS RE-OPENED THE PENT-UP DEMAND FOR TRAVEL HAD SEEN 

THE ROOMS FILL QUICKLY AND THE RESORT STARTED TO TRADE AT A NEW LEVEL. 


The O’Reilly’s holdings now include Villa and Retreat 

accommodation set out over 10 hectares. They also 

manage a new campground at Green Mountains 

Camping Area in Lamington National Park, a 

project they embarked on in conjunction with the 

Queensland Government. 

The accommodation occupies just a small part 

of the 300 hectares owned by O’Reilly’s which is 

surrounded by 20,600 hectares of National Park. 

Further down the mountain, O’Reilly’s operate 

O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyards, serving up 

locally made wine, picnics and even an Alpaca 

experience courtesy of a partnership with Mountview 

Alpaca Farms which is housed within the vineyard’s 

grounds. 

Like all hospitality businesses O’Reilly’s was put into 

a spin in March 2020 when the COVID-19 lockdowns 

forced them to close their doors to the public. 

For the staff, especially those from an international 

background, the news was not all bad. 

“We’ve gone ok,” Shane said. 

“We’re very lucky. Our international staff… we kept 

all of them when we had to shut down. We gave 

them free accommodation and free meals and kept 

them there. We asked them to do a bit of gardening 

a couple of days a week. 

“They had nowhere to go – most of them couldn’t 

afford to go home – and their flights were cancelled.” 

While the business was able to access jobkeeper 

for its Australian staff for part of the recovery, the 

international staff were not eligible. 

Shane said when the doors re-opened the pent-up 

demand for travel had seen the rooms fill quickly 

and the resort started to trade at a new level. 

He said from a tourism perspective it appeared the 

regional areas, where there were fewer rooms to fill 

than the bigger centres such as Brisbane or the Gold 

Coast, were achieving high levels of occupancy. 

“I think a lot of the regional places… a lot of western 

areas, western towns, you can’t get into them,” 

Shane said. 

While the regular travellers have come back, Shane 

said the conference market had been slower to 

return as organisers worried about the chance of 

last minute COVID-19 shutdowns and their effect on 

interstate attendees and guest speakers. 

Speaking to Shane on the day the May lockdowns 

took hold in Victoria he said the COVID-19 challenge 

continued to be real. 

“We’ve had cancellations today – it’s hard for us, it’s 

hard for the people who are having to deal with it as 

well, of course, it’s their holiday away,” he said. 

For those travellers though there is the reassurance 

that their money and their bookings are safe. 

“We have made it clear to everyone booking with 

us – ‘You would not lose your money under any 

circumstance’ – however we would prefer, if it’s 

possible, to transfer to some other time. 

“We’re booked out now until September – if you 

haven’t booked for the next few months – you’ve got 

no place to stay in.” 

One thing that hasn’t come back at O’Reilly’s post- 

COVID is the restaurant at the vineyard. 

In its place the business has developed a new 

offering, gourmet picnics that can be taken away 

and eaten under the trees – or even with an alpaca 

for company.

image credit: to Katie Purling 

image credit: to Katie Purling 

image credit: to Katie Purling


FEATURE 

image credit: Andy Macpherson Studio and Aspect Architecture 

THE ACCOMMODATION OCCUPIES JUST A 

SMALL PART OF THE 300 HECTARES OWNED 

BY O’REILLY’S WHICH IS SURROUNDED BY 

20,600 HECTARES OF NATIONAL PARK. 

image credit: Andy Macpherson Studio and Aspect Architecture 

image credit: 

Katie Purling

FEATURE 

image credit: Canungra House 

image courtesy: Tourism and Events Queensland 


“We closed our restaurant – we had picnics and we 

just focused solely on picnics. 

“Wages have gone down, food costs have gone 

down. Having a regional restaurant is hard work. 

“With the restaurant being closed, it’s just allowed us 

to focus more on the picnics. 

“We get increases in our turnover while not 

increasing, necessarily, our wages and costs. 

“Our biggest day for us is Mother’s Day. Three years 

ago we broke $20k for the day on picnics and the 

restaurant being open. In 2019 we did $30k – this 

year we did $67,600 in picnics – and we did 267 

pizzas on the day on top of the picnics.” 

Shane said they did not intend to re-open the 

restaurant, however, it would still be available for 

group bookings or events. 

Another element Shane said he’d noticed out of 

COVID was that customers were becoming more 

strongly focused on buying local which had been 

good news for the sales volumes of their wines. 

“They’re looking for authentic local experiences 

or products – they seem to be doing a lot of local 

boutique shopping as well and that’s been great for 

us,” he said. 

ANOTHER ELEMENT SHANE SAID HE’D NOTICED OUT 

OF COVID WAS THAT CUSTOMERS WERE BECOMING 

MORE STRONGLY FOCUSED ON BUYING LOCAL 

WHICH HAD BEEN GOOD NEWS FOR THE SALES 

VOLUMES OF THEIR WINES. 

As an industry Shane said COVID-19 had provided 

a strong opportunity for people to engage with 

businesses, and for businesses to do the right thing. 

“If you’re not having a cancellation policy now - do 

we want to go back and have a cancellation policy 

after all this – if people are doing the right thing by 

you? 

“We’ve not increased our prices substantially – even 

running 90 per cent occupancy. 

“There’s been some talk of people putting their 

prices up really high. 

“You should be happy with the occupancy and the 

rate you’ve got.”

CARPET DESIGN 

with no limits 

The team at Artistic Flooring is passionate 

about designing and creating fantastic 

impressions for your clientele when it comes 

to your venue. The woven axminster designed 

carpet that we manufacture will have that wow 

factor and lasting impressions of your venue to 

the standard you’re looking for. 

Brisbane based, we’re here to help you with 

making quick and cost effective decisions for 

your venue. 

Please contact David Williams 

m 0414 282 886 e david@artisticflooring.com.au 

w artisticflooring.com.au 

EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS, 

COVID-19 AND WHAT’S NEXT? 

Join the QHA’s Employment Relations team on 

Thursday, 5 August for its 12th annual full day 

Conference. 

We didn’t get to see you in 2020 due to one big 

reason many of us in business don’t want to talk 

about! In 2021 we are back, and we are happy to 

be able to look forward and discuss what we need 

to be aware of and ready for. 

REGISTER 

ONLINE 

NOW 

05 

08 

21 

THURSDAY 

5 AUGUST 2021 

LOFT WEST END 

EMPLOYMENT 

RELATIONS 

CONFERENCE 

2021 

RSVP TO ER@QHA.ORG.AU 

QHA.ORG.AU/EVENTS/ 

ERCONFERENCE

LEGAL MATTERS with Curt Schatz 

OPERATING AUTHORITIES: A BALANCING ACT 

After more than 40 years advising the hospitality 

industry, the topic of electronic gaming machine (EGM) 

operating authorities, how many exist, how tightly 

they are held, and whether we have enough, has 

remained hot in discussions with publicans. And, with 

the increase in investment and new entrants to the 

industry in the last 12 months, I thought it relevant to 

revisit this topic and also provide some 101 information 

for new entrants. 

EGM OPERATING AUTHORITIES, EXPLAINED 

The maximum number of EGMs allowed under a 

Gaming Machine Licence (Licence) depends on 

the type of venue being operated. For a hotel, the 

maximum number of EGMs allowed is 45. However, 

there is a key distinction between how many EGMs 

your venue is licensed for and how many EGM can 

operate from your venue. This is because under 

Queensland legislation, a cap is placed on the number 

of EGMs that can be operated within licensed venues. 

Each EGM requires what is known as an “operating 

authority” – which is essentially a right to operate that 

specific EGM at your venue that can only be obtained 

by participating in an authorised sale conducted by the 

Public Trustee of Queensland (discussed in more detail 

below). 

So, while your hotel may be licensed for 45 EGMs, 

you may not have obtained the corresponding number 

of operating authorities, which can be a frustrating 

situation for Hoteliers. This contributes to the complex 

‘balancing act’ of EGM supply and demand. 

As at May 2021, the total number of approved 

operating authorities for hotels in Queensland is 

19,500. 1 This is in contrast to the 18,843 operating 

authorities available in 2003, despite Queensland’s 

population having increased by ~31% since that time. 

To ensure that all the operating authorities are not 

located in one dense geographical area, those 19,500 

operating authorities are further divided into three 

different geographical areas, or “authority regions”, 

– South-East Region, Coastal Region and Western 

Region. The operating authorities allocated to each 

region must remain in their authority region. 

TABLE 1 

Tender Date South-East Avg Price Coastal Avg Price Western Avg Price 

22 November 2006 $283,293 $164,929 $74,996 

14 November 2012 $67,152 $56,548 $34,412 

24 March 2021 $197,937 $122,250 $17,061 (15 July 2020) 

Table 1 demonstrates how the average price of operating authorities has fluctuated over years 

The number of operating authorities available within the tender pool will ultimately be determined by the amount that are either 

surrendered by licensees or cancelled by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation. 


TABLE 2 

Tender Date South-East OAO Coastal OAO Western OAO 

22 November 2006 120 53 13 

14 November 2012 234 58 13 

24 March 2021 12 10 0 

Table 2 shows how the operating authorities offered (‘OAO) have fluctuated within the respective tenders used above.

Curt Schatz 

LEGAL 

THE SALE (TENDER) PROCESS 

Operating authorities are obtained under a competitive 

tender process, held three or four times annually by 

the Public Trustee. At each tender, the Public Trustee 

will advise bidders how many operating authorities 

are available in each authority region. Bidders will 

then submit formal tender offers, to which the Public 

Trustee will accept the highest bids, provided they are 

over the minimum acceptable price set by the Public 

Trustee. Once the tender results have been finalised, 

the licensee selling the operating authorities will be 

paid the average sale price per operating authority, 

less the prescribed percentage (33%), which is paid to 

the consolidated fund. 

This system inherently creates a situation where the 

value of an operating authority is dictated strictly 

by supply and demand, which can fluctuate heavily 

depending on the economic climate, as we have seen 

in recent times. 

High ROI 

WHERE ARE WE NOW? 

In the clearing fog of COVID-19, there has been 

a visible increase in investment in Queensland, 

particularly from the south. This increase in investment 

is heavily reflected within the hospitality industry, as 

we can see from the number of developments of 

greenfield hotels and expansions to existing hotels. 

Based on the most recent tender results, it appears 

that currently there is an over demand and under 

supply of operating authorities. Balancing the influx 

of activity against the current cap on operating 

authorities, while maintaining their value, will always 

be a sensitive balance for both the government and 

industry. 

Should you have any queries about operating 

authorities or the tender process, please contact me 

on 07 3224 0230. 

1. 

Gaming Machine Regulation 2002 (QLD) s 10A. 

- CALENDAR JULY 2021 - 

Responsible management of licensed venues (RMLV) 

Gold Coast* 1 July Video Connect (online) 6 July 

Video Connect (online) 13 July Brisbane* 15 July 

Townsville* 20 July Video Connect (online) 21 July 

Cairns* 22 July Sunshine Coast* 27 July 

Video Connect (online) 29 July Brisbane* 29 July 

Brisbane* 

Member Price $395.00 / Non-Members $495.00 

GAMING NOMINEE TRAINING (GNT) 

QHA Member / 

Video Connect (Online) 7 July 

Non-member price: $495.00 

DEVELOPING HOTEL MANAGEMENT SKILLS 

QHA Member $495.00 / 

5 & 6 July 

Non-member price: $619.00 

*Note: Classroom-based training can be cancelled due to insufficient numbers 

RMLV/GNT Video Connect (Online) courses will be added as required 

BOOK TRAINING NOW 

Visit www.qha.org.au for any of the training courses mentioned here 

or Email: training@qha.org.au

SUPERANNUATION 

With Brendan O’Farrell 

FLEXIBILITY AND SUPPORT KEY THEMES IN THE 

FEDERAL BUDGET 

I’m sure it was a relief to see there was some good 

news for the hospitality industry in the 2021 Federal 

Budget. 

A $1.2 billion tourism and aviation package was put 

forward, providing support to tourism businesses as 

well as the previously announced half-price airline 

tickets to regional spots around the country. New 

tax relief for small brewers and distillers was also 

proposed. This would bring the tax benefits for 

eligible brewers and distillers in line with other alcohol 

manufacturers and wine producers. 

Additionally, the instant tax write-off for businesses, 

due to end on 30 June 2021, could be extended to 30 

June 2023. This will allow businesses to deduct the full 

cost of eligible depreciable assets that were acquired 

after 6 October 2020 and are ready for use by 30 June 

2023. 

All in all, a pretty good result for the industry. The 

super industry was similarly relieved that the super 

proposals this year were kept to a minimum. The most 

notable proposal was the removal of the $450 Super 

Guarantee (SG) threshold, which is set to take effect 

on 1 July the year after the legislation is passed into 

law. 

A $1.2 BILLION TOURISM AND AVIATION 

PACKAGE WAS PUT FORWARD, PROVIDING 

SUPPORT TO TOURISM BUSINESSES AS WELL 

AS THE PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED HALF-PRICE 

AIRLINE TICKETS TO REGIONAL SPOTS AROUND 

THE COUNTRY. 

This could see businesses required to pay super to 

workers earning less than $450 per month (previously 

these workers were exempt from SG obligations). This 

could provide more certainty for staff who work varied 

hours each week, as super will most likely be paid 

from day one. Some changes might need to be made 

to payroll systems to accommodate this. If you need 

assistance, Intrust Super can help. 

Other super proposals included the removal of the 

work test for those aged 67-74, as well as expansions 

to the downsizer contributions and the First Home 

Super Saver scheme. 

No changes were made to the SG rate increase, 

despite some expectations to the contrary. 

Accordingly, the rate increased to 10% on 1 July 

2021. If you pay your staff’s super monthly, you will 

need to pay the increased rate when you process your 

staff’s July SG contributions. If you pay quarterly, you 

will need to pay the increased rate when you make 

your September quarter contributions (by 28 October 

2021). 

Another major change to your super obligations may 

have come into effect on 1 July 2021 (at the time 

of writing, this change had not yet passed through 

Parliament). Businesses may now be required to 

find the details of the current super fund of any new 

staff members through an ATO portal and pay their 

contributions into their existing fund. Default accounts 

may only be needed if an employee doesn’t already 

have a super account (for example, if they are new to 

the workforce). 

If you need some help with the new obligations, we’ve 

been offering free Business Super Health Checks 

to help ensure the least possible impact on your 

business. Email service@intrust.com.au to book in 

your health check today. 


The opinions expressed in this column are my own and do not necessarily represent the view of Intrust Super. 

The information contained in this document and the services referred to are of a general nature only, and does not take into account your 

individual financial situation, objectives and needs. You should consider the appropriateness of the general information having regard to your 

own situation before making any investment decision. For personal advice, please contact the Intrust360° financial advice team on 1300 001 

360. A Product Disclosure Statement is available at www.intrust.com.au or call us on 132 467 for a copy. 

Issued by IS Industry Fund Pty Ltd | MySuper Unique Identifier: 65704511371601 | ABN: 45 010 814 623 | AFSL No: 238051 | RSE Licence 

No: L0001298 | Intrust Super ABN 65 704 511 371 | SPIN/USI: HPP0100AU | RSE Registration No: R100439 

Intrust360° is our financial planning business (its legal name is IS Financial Planning Pty Ltd ABN 64 143 707 439). It’s a wholly owned 

subsidiary of IS Industry Fund Pty Ltd ABN: 45 010 814 623. It’s also a corporate authorised representative of Link Advice Pty Limited ABN: 

36 105 811 836 | AFSL: 258145 | Corporate Authorised Representative Number: 379207. M3.2.2.21.4

The Honourable Shannon Fentiman MP 

ATTORNEY-GENERAL 

PLAYING OUR PART IN ENDING 

DOMESTIC, FAMILY AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE 

We all have a role to play in ending domestic, family 

and sexual violence (DFSV) and I want to thank all of 

our hardworking hotel staff who play an important part 

in keeping their patrons safe. 

With the national conversation around DFSV becoming 

louder, we know Queenslanders are wanting to know 

what more they can do. 

It’s great to see some of our licensees already taking 

the lead and implementing initiatives for their staff to 

have the tools they need to recognise and respond to 

DFSV in their venues. 

Endeavour Group in consultation with 1800RESPECT 

is providing team members with bystander training to 

help them recognise what constitutes domestic and 

family violence (DFV), what to do if they see signs of 

abuse, and how to report it. 

This training is being rolled out across the group’s 

28,000-strong staff including BWS, Dan Murphy’s and 

ALH Hotels in communities across Australia. It also 

includes delivery drivers, customer service agents and 

support offices. 

BWS Managing Director Scott Davidson said they 

want their team to feel supported and to have the best 

information readily available to deal with critical issues, 

so they can remain safe and continue to serve local 

communities effectively and with empathy. 

“Earlier this year a female sought refuge in a BWS 

store, while seeking safety from her male partner,” Mr 

Davidson said. 

“Team members quickly locked the door and called 

the police. 

“The team acted bravely and did the right thing to 

keep the woman, team members and other customers 

safe inside the store. 

“The new training will build awareness, but also 

empower team members to handle situations like this 

safely,” Mr Davidson added. 

Another fantastic support initiative that has been 

implemented by some licensees is paid leave for 

staff affected by domestic and family violence. This 

can be a game changer in helping victims escape a 

violent situation without jeopardising their employment. 

Because it’s not just our patrons we need to look after 

but also our staff. 

I understand not all businesses have the resources 

to roll out training programs or provide further leave 

support but I just want to say that simple initiatives can 

also be effective. 

Earlier this year, as part of the Lockyer Valley Says No 

to Violence campaign, Laidley Community Centre held 

stalls at the Laidley Markets and printed coasters with 

anti-violence messages which they delivered to pubs, 

clubs, and businesses around the Lockyer Valley. 

The Queensland Government is partnering with the 

Griffith University’s MATE Bystander program and 

Telstra to develop a new bystander mobile app. This 

will be available to all Queenslanders and will make it 

easier for users to access vital information they need 

to support a friend or family member experiencing DFV. 

It will also work as a guide to help a bystander to do 

simple, appropriate, things like check in with their 

friend, offer their support – now or whenever they need 

it. 

Because we know that even the smallest gestures 

or actions can be powerful. If we are going to truly 

tackle DFSV we need to take action as a community 

- and our hotels and pubs are a big part of every 

Queensland community. 

Thank you again for the work you do in keeping 

patrons safe. 


OLGR 

with Victoria Thomson 

OFFICE OF LIQUOR AND GAMING REGULATION UPDATE 


Queensland’s Liquor Accords are a great example of 

commitment to patron and community safety. 

Each liquor accord is designed by its members 

to create harm minimisation strategies that help 

resolve local issues – so every accord is unique – but 

the overarching purpose of an accord is to work 

together to address issues facing the industry and 

the community and to create safe and well-managed 

environments in and around licensed premises. 

Anti-social behaviour, including alcohol-related crime 

or violence, and concerns about excessive noise are 

reasons for adopting a liquor accord. 

In addition to liquor licensees, members of local 

accords can include Queensland Police, local councils, 

community groups and other stakeholders. 

Earlier this year, we hosted a liquor accord roundtable. 

This roundtable was part of a liquor accord 

reinvigoration project we’re currently undertaking to 

encourage and support the creation and continuation 

of sustainable, effective, industry-led accords in 

Queensland. 

The event was attended by representatives from liquor 

accords, the Queensland Police Service and OLGR 

officers from across Queensland. It provided an open 

forum to share thoughts and experiences, success 

stories and constructive feedback, and to develop key 

actions for accords. 

Our far northern team also took an opportunity to visit 

Thursday Island, the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA), 

and outer Torres Strait Islands licensees. 

The NPA liquor accord, which spans from the Torres 

Strait to Horn Island, includes 13 licensed venues and 

is very active and community minded. Their recent 

meeting focussed on responsible service of alcohol 

training and education. 

The visit provided a wonderful opportunity to 

reconnect face-to-face after a challenging year for the 

community due not only to the unique circumstances 

they face operating licensed venues in remote areas, 

but also those created by COVID-19. 

If you are keen to contribute to improving your local 

community’s safety, you can connect with your local 

liquor accord, or, if there isn’t one in your area, you can 

start your own. 

Annual liquor licence fees go towards encouraging the 

responsible service of alcohol in licensed venues and 

improving community safety and amenity for you, your 

staff, patrons and neighbours. 

By now you will have received your annual liquor 

licence fee notice, with your current trading hours. 

If you would like to change these hours, you must 

notify us in writing before 22 July 2021 so you pay the 

correct fee. 

If you need to make changes, please contact OLGR’s 

licensing team immediately on 1300 072 322. 

If the licence fee notice you received doesn’t require a 

change, you can pay your fee through our online client 

portal. 

Gaming Exclusions Data 

From 1 July 2021, an online link will allow you to 

report your venue’s gaming exclusions data for the 

period 1 January 2021 to 30 June 2021. This must be 

completed by 16 July 2021. 

Reporting your venue’s exclusion via the online link is 

quick and easy and does away with the need to fax or 

mail forms to us. 

Please remember, you are required to submit a report 

even if your venue has had no exclusions during the 

reporting period. The data collected is used to inform 

gambling and harm minimisation policy. 

If you need help with your report, phone 3738 8333 or 

email gamingstatistics@justice.qld.gov.au. 

We’ve been talking a lot about gambling harm 

minimisation in recent editions and I’ve been really 

pleased to hear examples of the work hotels are doing 

– from setting up gambling help services in venue 

cafes, to using technology to identify patrons who 

have self-excluded. These are fantastic initiatives and 

I’m looking forward to seeing more great work in this 

area as I visit venues around the state.

Victoria Thomson OLGR 

BY NOW YOU WILL HAVE RECEIVED YOUR 

ANNUAL LIQUOR LICENCE FEE NOTICE, WITH 

YOUR CURRENT TRADING HOURS. IF YOU 

WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE THESE HOURS, YOU 

MUST NOTIFY US IN WRITING BEFORE 22 JULY 

2021 SO YOU PAY THE CORRECT FEE. 

Responsible Gambling Awareness Week (RGAW) 

is being held from 26 July to 1 August 2021. While 

reducing harm caused by problem gambling should be 

a constant focus in gaming venues, the week presents 

an opportunity to take action – like reminding your staff 

of their responsibilities in this area and highlighting to 

your patrons the avenues available for help. 

While this is at the front of our minds, I ask you to take 

a look at your venue’s harm minimisation strategy, 

engage with your local gambling help service provider, 

and ensure there are the necessary supports in place 

to look out for your patrons. 

For more information on the signs of problem gambling 

and the support available visit gamblinghelpqld.org.au. 

Free and confidential help and advice is available 24/7 

via the Gambling Helpline 1800 858 858. 

Information on your roles and responsibilities 

and training for staff is available on the Business 

Queensland website. 

You can also keep an eye on OLGR’s Facebook page 

for RGAW information and resources. 

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INSIGHTS 

CREATIVITY, 

COLLABORATION 

AND SUCCESS 

ROB’S FAMILY BUSINESS TOOK A FORMER 

DRIVING RANGE AND CLUBHOUSE SITE AND 

CONVERTED IT INTO ONE OF THE REGION’S 

PREMIER ENTERTAINMENT VENUES. 


In a bid to leave no stone unturned when it comes 

to communicating interesting news and insights with 

its members the QHA has stepped into the world of 

podcasting with the first episode of Here’s Cheers. 

In this first episode CEO Bernie Hogan jumped behind 

the microphone and caught up with Rob Comiskey, 

David Crisafulli and Joanna Minchinton to talk about 

their experiences of the hotel industry. 

Bernie chatted to Comiskey Group Director Rob 

Comiskey in the week after one of his group’s headline 

venues, the Eatons Hill Hotel, celebrated its 10th 

birthday.

INSIGHTS 

The Eatons Hill is a four-storey, 7000sqm, venue 

located about half an hour north of Brisbane’s CBD. 

Rob’s family business that he runs with his father Paul 

and brother David, took a former driving range and 

clubhouse site and converted it into one of the region’s 

premier entertainment venues, known for hosting 

bands, boxing matches, festivals and even a few 

rodeos. 

It’s one of a number of venues owned and managed 

by the Comiskey Group including the Beachmere 

Hotel, the Sandstone Point Hotel and Big 4 caravan 

park and the Samford Hotel. They also have new 

projects coming at Dakabin (near Brisbane), Doonan 

(on the Sunshine Coast) and a 200 hectare resort site 

at Coochin Creek near Caloundra on the Sunshine 

Coast. 

For the Comiskey family, who had previously run a 

number of separate businesses including childcare, 

property and shopping centre development, the move 

into the hotel space sparked a sense of creativity and 

collaboration. 

IT’S A SIMILAR STORY AT SANDSTONE 

POINT WHERE ROB AND HIS DAD, 

PAUL, WERE FLYING OVER THE AREA IN 

A HELICOPTER AND HIS DAD POINTED 

OUT THE BLOCK, ADJACENT TO THE 

PUMICESTONE PASSAGE NEAR BRIBIE 

ISLAND AND TOLD ROB IT WOULD HAVE 

TO BE ONE OF THE BEST BLOCKS IN 

QUEENSLAND. 

Speaking about Eatons Hill Rob explained the process. 

“It was an ex-golf club range of all things. The golf 

driving range ended up shutting down,” Rob said. 

“One of my solicitors was one of their solicitors. He 

told me about this great block of land. We bought it 

not knowing exactly what we wanted to do. As we 

went through the approvals it started getting bigger 

and bigger. 

“It’s a beast – it has an 1100sqm liquor barn, eight 

different function spaces.” 

Building something so big in the suburbs was always 

going to have its challenges. 

Rob said they were initially worried about transport 

and people being able to get to and from the venue. In 

the end, its size and the number of people it attracted 

turned it into a hub for taxis with cab drivers lining up 

to take patrons home each night. 


INSIGHTS 


Another fear was that the venue could be tarnished if it 

attracted the wrong crowd. So the group took steps to 

decrease the risk from the very start. 

“If we were going to do this, we would have to put in 

a really high standard of dress code as well as a really 

high standard of behavior and make sure we put in 

ID scanning from day one. Back then, nobody did it, 

there was only one or two, but definitely no-one in 

the suburbs. 

“It basically gave us the one warning rule. You come 

in there and have any type of violence, any type 

of altercation at all, and you’re banned and you’re 

banned for life. 

“People go, `you’re going to lose that business’ and 

that’s the sort of business I’m happy to lose. We’ve got 

1000 people on our ban list. Life bans. And we’ll stay 

with that”. 

Over the past five years the Comiskey’s have added 

accommodation and retail to their offer at Eatons Hill 

with 90 rooms available in a seven-storey development 

adjacent to a retail centre that includes a Woolworths 

and will soon have a Taco Bell too. 

It’s a similar story at Sandstone Point where Rob and 

his Dad, Paul, were flying over the area in a helicopter 

and his Dad pointed out the block, adjacent to the 

Pumicestone Passage near Bribie Island and told 

Rob it would have to be one of the best blocks in 

Queensland. 

Paul came back to the office, found out who owned 

the block and sent them a letter, but never did get 

a reply. A couple of years later they saw the land 

advertised in Queensland Country Life and attempted 

to buy it. 

While the first attempt went awry when a big developer 

offered more money with plans to sub-divide – in the 

end the developer’s plans were rejected by the law 

makers and the Comiskeys negotiated a purchase. 

That same creativity from Eatons Hill came to the fore 

at the new block which now hosts a substantial hotel 

and a Big 4 caravan park complete with resort-style 

amenities, a massive pool and water park. 

One of the tips Rob shared with Bernie around working 

in a family business was to get good advice and set 

up a solid structure where everyone knew who was in 

charge of what element. 

“It took a bit of doing to get together – and yep, we 

argue. 

“We’re very honest and blunt with each other. We all 

appreciate each other and we all bring something 

different. We’re all very good at different things. 

Rob says he looks after the hotel side of the business. 

The General Managers report directly to him and they 

know that he’s the person to come to for decisions on 

the hotels. 

“You’ve got to make decisions – You’ve got to be 

confident in it. You won’t always get it right.”

CHAMPIONING SUCCESSFUL 

INDEPENDENTS 

QLD IBA at a glance 

Nationally, IBA is the largest independent 

retail network. 

• IBA has over 2,500 outlets around Australia, 

the highest number of sites of any liquor group. 

QLD IBA +35% year on year growth in 2021 

• So far in 2021, IBA QLD sales have grown by 35% vs 

the same period in 2020 

IBA is QLD’s largest retail network, and growing 

Another business lesson was to look past the initial 

rush of the opening months, when people wanted to 

get involved and try the new thing in town, and plan for 

a sustainable model that would cover the costs of the 

business and contribute a profit. 

His other key elements for success revolved around 

exemplary customer service, and great food. 

“We treat food as the heart and soul of the business. 

If you don’t have good food in your pub, you’ve got a 

crap pub,” Rob said. 

He said when it came to researching new ideas the 

family would look at other examples and try and 

improve on them. 

“R&D - rip off and duplicate. Try and give your hotel a 

personality – all the way from logo, all the way to your 

décor and your food. A really strong hotel has a really 

strong brand.” 

• As at April 2021, there are over 550 IBA sites in QLD, 

which is over 27% of QLD’s retail licensed premises 

Listen the complete interview and more at 

the first episode of Here’s Cheers now 

available at www.qha.org.au or your normal 

podcast apps: 

itunes 

spotify 

buzzsprout 

Sources: 1) Drinks Association Banner Count Report 2021, IRI data 13w/e 28/03/21 vs YA, national liquor chains 

ASX quarterly reports 2) IRI data YTD to 25/04/2021 vs YA 3) Drinks Association Banner Count Report 2021a

EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS with Joanna Minchinton 

CASUAL CONVERSIONS - THE NEW NES 


As Lyndsay discussed in the June edition of 

QHA Review, the federal Government’s Fair Work 

Amendment (Supporting Australian’s Job and 

Economic Recovery) Act 2021 amended the Fair 

Work Act 2009 (‘FW Act’) from March. 

The amendments to the FW Act were summarised in 

the June edition. 

This article focuses on one particular amendment; 

casual conversion, and the statutory obligations it 

places on employers both with respect to: 

• undertaking an assessment to determine if a 

casual employee is eligible, and if so, making 

the offer to convert to permanent employment; 

and 

• responding to an eligible employee’s request to 

convert to permanent employment. 

Collectively, the above obligations are contained in 

the new National Employment Standard (‘NES’) that 

is titled Offers and requests for casual conversion. 

Please note that this article provides a summary of 

this new NES only. More details on an employer’s 

obligations to offer conversion, and on what to do if 

in receipt of an employee request to convert, can be 

found in the QHA’s Casual Conversion Fact Sheet. 

Template letters to assist employers with all aspects 

of this NES can also be found in the Fact Sheet. 

Members can email er@qha.org.au to request a 

copy. 

1. EMPLOYER OBLIGATION TO OFFER 

CONVERSION TO PERMANENCY 

NOTE: This does not apply to a small business 

employer i.e an employer with less than 15 employees. 

An employer is required to assess and offer a casual 

employee conversion to permanent full or part-time 

employment if: 

(a) beginning the day the casual employee’s 

employment started, the employee has been 

employed by the employer for a period of 12 

months; and 

(b) during at least the last 6 months of that period, 

the employee has worked a regular pattern of 

hours on an ongoing basis; and 

(c) without significant adjustment, the employee 

could continue to work as a full‐time 

employee or a part‐time employee. 

An employer does not have to make the offer of 

conversion if a) an employee is not eligible as per 

above, or b) there are reasonable grounds not to. 

What are reasonable grounds? 

An employer does not have to make an offer of 

casual conversion if there are reasonable grounds, 

provided that the reasonable grounds are based on 

facts that are known, or reasonably foreseeable, at 

the time of deciding not to make the offer. 

In accordance with the FW Act, reasonable grounds 

for an employer include but are not limited to: 

(a) the employee’s position will cease to exist 

in the period of 12 months after the time of 

deciding not to make the offer; 

(b) the hours of work which the employee is 

required to perform will be significantly 

reduced in that period; 

(c) there will be a significant change in either or 

both of the following in that period: 

(i) the days on which the employee’s hours of 

work are required to be performed; 

(ii) the times at which the employee’s hours of 

work are required to be performed; 

which cannot be accommodated within the 

days or times the employee is available to 

work during that period; 

(d) making the offer would not comply with a 

recruitment or selection process required by 

or under a law of the Commonwealth or a 

State or a Territory.

Joanna Minchinton 

EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS 

An example of (d) would be where a casual 

employee works 6 hours on average per week. As 

per the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 

(the ‘HIGA’) the minimum hours for a part-time 

employee is 8 per week. In this situation conversion 

cannot be offered because it would not comply with 

the part-time provisions of the HIGA. 

Making the offer to convert 

Where the employer has made an assessment, 

the casual employee is eligible and there are 

no reasonable grounds preventing an offer of 

conversion, an employer must provide the offer 

in writing within 21 days of the employee having 

attained 12 months of casual service. 

The offer is only made once, not every 12 months of 

service. 

An offer is either to convert to full-time employment, 

or to convert to part-time employment. 

In determining which is appropriate, an employer 

needs to look at the hours of work the casual 

employee has been working in the six months of 

employment immediately prior to the assessment. 

The offer then needs to reflect: 

• full-time employment, if the hours have been 

the same as full-time hours i.e. 38 ordinary 

hours per week; or 

• part-time employment, if the hours worked have 

been as per a pattern or regular hours for less 

than 38 hours per week. 

An employee must give their employer a written 

response to an offer of casual conversion within 21 

days after the date the offer is given. This response 

must state whether the employee accepts or 

declines the offer. 

If an employer does not receive a written response 

within that timeframe, the employee is taken to have 

declined the offer. 

If an employee accepts the offer to convert 

If the employee accepts the offer, the employer must 

give written notice to the employee, within 21 

days after the day the acceptance is given to the 

employer. That notice must specify the following: 

(a) whether the employee is converting to full 

time employment or part time employment; 

(b) the employee’s hours of work after the 

conversion takes effect; 

(c) the day the employee’s conversion takes 

effect. This must be the first day of the 

employee’s first full pay period that starts 

after the day the notice is given - unless the 

employee and employer agree to another day. 

Prior to giving notice with the above details, the 

employer must discuss those details with the 

employee. Discussion would also involve, for 

example, the change in the base rate of pay, given 

the casual loading is no longer payable. 

In addition to the notice required, an employer 

should issue an employee who accepts conversion 

with a new employment contract that reflects the 

change of employment type. 

Transition Period 

There is a transition period for existing casual 

employees, that is, casuals who were employed as 

at 27 March 2021. 

For those casual employees: 

• employers have until 27 September 2021 to 

assess whether to make an offer or 21 days 

after the 12-month anniversary of an employee, 

whichever date occurs later; 

• employers must advise them if they are not 

eligible for an offer to convert by 27 September 

2021 within 21 days of making that assessment. 

This advice must be in writing. 

Continued over page>> 


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EMPLOYMENT RELATIONS with Joanna Minchinton 

2. EMPLOYEE REQUEST TO CONVERT 

NOTE: This section applies to a small business employer. 

The new NES also provides a casual employee with a residual right to 

request casual conversion to permanent employment: 

• an employee of an employer that is not a small business cannot 

request to convert in accordance with the NES until after 27 

September 2021. 

• an employee of a small business employer can make a request in 

accordance with the NES before 27 September 2021. 

Eligibility to request 

A casual employee may request conversion to permanent 

employment if the employee meets the following eligibility criteria: 

(a) beginning the day employment started, the employee has been 

employed by the employer for a period of 12 months; and 

(b) during at least the last 6 months of that period, the employee 

has worked a regular pattern of hours on an ongoing basis; and 

(c) without significant adjustment, the employee could continue to 

work as a full‐time employee or a part‐time employee. 

and 

(i) the employee has not refused an offer made to the employee to 

convert in the previous 6 months; 

(ii) the employer has not, within the previous 6 months, made an 

offer to convert on reasonable grounds; 

(iii) the employer has not within the previous 6 months responded 

to the employee refusing a previous request; and 

(iv) the request is not made during the 21 days period after the 

employee’s 12 month anniversary. 

Employer obligations resulting from an employee’s request to convert 

to permanent employment are detailed in the earlier referred to Fact 

Sheet. Members are encouraged to obtain a copy to understand 

those obligations. 

DISPUTES ABOUT THIS NEW NES 

The new NES obligations represent legal obligations for all employers, 

regardless of whether an employee is covered by an industrial 

instrument, such as the HIGA, or is award free. 

It is therefore important to understand what those obligations are, 

timeframes associated with those obligations, and to make an 

assessment when it is needed. An employee has the option of either 

lodging a dispute as per their industrial instrument, or commencing a 

small claim proceeding in the magistrates or Federal Circuit Court. 

CONTACT US TODAY 

P: 07 3221 6999 F: 07 3221 6649 

E: er@qha.org.au W: qha.org.au 

QHA members seeking more information or wishing to discuss 

a specific employment relations matter are encouraged to 

contact the Employment Relations Department for a confidential 

discussion by calling 07 3221 6999 or emailing er@qha.org.au.

Lisa Boorer TRAINING AND SAFETY 

LITIGATION AND TRAINING 

Litigation and training are an interesting combination. 

Our legislators look at the hospitality industry from 

a ‘harm minimisation’ perspective. As business 

owners and managers your view of the industry is 

on ambience, product, customer service, budgets, 

competitors, and the need for a safe environment. 

While trying to maintain compliance to the varying 

regulatory bodies. 

So why is training paramount to your success in 

keeping the venue compliant and the regulators 

satisfied while avoiding preventable accidents that 

create litigation? 

Staff both new and seasoned ‘don’t know what they 

don’t know’. For the hospitality industry to flourish and 

grow successfully our focus needs an adjustment, 

so we see the value in investing in our people. Every 

business should consider the need for their staff to not 

only know but to understand what they know. 

Often companies do a ‘tick and flick’ induction 

that only skims the surface with no depth to the 

subject and with little to no understanding of the 

consequences of non-compliance. There is an old 

saying ‘we are only as strong as our weakest link’, the 

weakest link is often caused by a lack of training. 

It is through our challenges, learned experiences and 

shared lessons that we teach the next generation of 

hospitality professionals. This strengthens our industry 

and builds trust and rapport. 

The real cost of training is not the cost of the course 

but the time that it takes organising the staff members, 

paying for their time, and monitoring their outcomes. 

When staff retention is low this becomes a neverending 

process that is taxing on the management 

team. This leads to a drop in morale, a decrease in 

revenue, a lack of awareness, a lack of compliance 

and an increase in harm leading to possible litigation - 

a much higher price to pay. 

Warren Buffet famously said “Lose money for the firm, 

and I will be understanding. Lose a shred of reputation 

for the firm, and I will be ruthless.” To successfully 

exceed expectation, we need staff that are well 

trained, happy, confident, and capable of providing the 

customer with the service we have based our brand 

on. 

Some venues have been ahead of the game with 

online training for WHS, RSA refreshers, customer 

service, company policies and procedures as part of 

their roster system, which tests the staff members 

via quizzes, videos and mini assessments to be 

completed as a precondition to unlock their next 

roster. 

Being innovative in our staff training to minimise 

harm is by far the smartest option for all licenced 

venues, not only in continued customer support 

but in maintaining a healthy licence clear of financial 

penalties. 


INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT 

with Damian Steele 

HOW DO YOU MEASURE UP? 


For over 60 years, our industry has been required to 

comply with the National Measurement Act 1990 (Cth) 

which requires that accurate and approved measuring 

instruments are used for selling beer and certain 

prescribed spirits to ensure that customers do not 

receive short-measure. 

The Act stipulates: 

5.1 Beer, spirits etc must be sold by reference to 

volume 

(1) For a sale of each of the following items, the 

item must be sold at a price determined by 

reference to volume: 

(a) beer; 

(b) stout; 

(c) ale; 

(d) brandy (including armagnac and cognac); 

(e) gin; 

(f) rum; 

(g) vodka; 

(h) whisky (including whiskey). 

Draught beer 

Beer dispensed from taps must be made by a volume 

measurement in metric units and be sold in approved, 

batch-tested glassware or batch-tested acrylic 

containers marked in millilitres (mL) or litres (L). Tested 

and approved glasses or jugs can be easily identified 

as they are marked on the base or side with: 

• the capacity in mL; and 

• the approved mark in the form of a stylised scale 

Wine 

Wine (unless it is pre-packaged) does not have to 

be sold by a volume measure and may be sold in an 

unmarked glass or carafe. For example, advertising a 

small or a large glass serve without reference to the 

amount in mL. 

If a venue chooses to specify a volume, e.g. 150mL 

or 250mL glass, then they are compelled to serve that 

amount accurately. 

THE QHA WILL BE PROVIDING EDUCATION AND 

AWARENESS MATERIALS TO MEMBERS IN 

ANTICIPATION OF AUDITS LATER IN THE YEAR. 

Spirits 

The prescribed spirits mentioned above must be 

measured correctly by using either electronic/ 

mechanical instruments (spirit dispensers) or simple 

15/30mL beverage measures (nip pourers or jiggers) 

which have been approved, tested and marked 

accordingly. All measuring instruments must be in a 

capacity of either 15mL, 30mL or 60mL. 

An electronic/mechanical spirit dispenser must be 

marked with: 

• a NMI approval number 


• a certification mark. 

A nip pourer/jigger must be made of rigid material (e.g. 

stainless steel or polycarbonate) and marked with: 


• the approved mark in the form of a stylised scale. 

The measurement requirements for the specified spirits 

do not apply: 

• when they are mixed with other spirits or with 

other alcoholic liquors to produce cocktails 

• to any liqueurs 

• to any brandy not made from grapes such 

as cherry brandy or plum brandy which are 

liqueurs.

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT 

` 

THE MEASUREMENT LAW REVIEW 

The National Department of Industry, Innovation and 

Science is currently undertaking a review of the Act 

to ensure the legislative framework is fit for purpose. 

The Measurement Law Review is identifying aspects 

of Australia’s measurement framework that can be 

modernised, streamlined or simplified and has 4 

objectives: 

1. developing and advancing measurement activities 

that support Australia and its economy 

2. strengthening strategic measurement capabilities 

3. supporting confidence in measurement - 

domestically and internationally 

4. promoting innovation through a modern approach 

to measurement infrastructure. 

Through the AHA, the QHA has provided input to the 

review via submission and further consultation will 

occur pending any proposed options for reform. The 

QHA considers that the scope of the current legislation 

as it pertains to our membership and industry sector is 

sufficiently broad and fit for purpose. 

AUDITS ARE EXPECTED (AGAIN) 

Members will recall that in 2019, inspectors from the 

National Measurement Institute conducted audits on 

over 800 hotels, clubs, bars and restaurants across 

the country. These were predominantly mystery 

shopper style visits where alcoholic products were 

ordered and tested for volume accuracy and use of 

approved measuring instruments. 

Some key numbers from the 2019 audit included: 

• 807 premises tested Australia wide 

• 213 failed (28%) 

• Penalties included letters of warning and fines – 

but no prosecutions. 

The QHA will be providing education and awareness 

materials to members in the coming months in 

anticipation of audits later in the year. 

We strongly support the responsible service of alcohol 

within our venues and understand that staff training 

in the correct and accurate measurement of alcohol 

dispensation is critical. Through correct measurement 

practices both the venue and the consumer can have 

confidence in the number of standard drinks being 

consumed and that they receive full-measure.

ACCOMMODATION UPDATE 

with Judy Hill 

WELCOMING NO VACANCY 


On June 1 and 2, I attended the No Vacancy 2021 

event at the International Convention Centre (ICC) 

in Sydney. The event is the biggest and most 

important annual event for professionals in the hotel 

and accommodation industry and was making a 

comeback after being postponed last year due to 

COVID. 

Along with a great range of exhibitors No Vacancy 

2021 had a strong line up of informative forums 

including the Hotel Marketing Summit, Energy, 

Efficiency and Sustainability Summit, Hotel Design 

Talks, Hotel Technology Summit, Revenue and 

Distribution Summit and the Hotel Leaders’ Summit. 

Michael Johnson, CEO of Tourism Accommodation 

Australia, led the discussion of the leadership panel 

at the Hotel Leaders Summit as they tackled the 

question: How have you coped with the pandemic? 

Panellists Dave Baswal, Managing Director ANZ, 

Ovolo Hotels, Graham Perry, Managing Director 

Australasia, BWH Hotel Group and Geoff York, 

Chief Executive Officer, Crystalbrook Collection, all 

admitted that leading their businesses through a 

pandemic had been a “very humbling experience”. 

Dave described 2020 as a year of uncertainty for 

Ovolo Hotels that “is still with us”. The best example 

being the recent sudden Melbourne shutdown 

resulting in hotel cancellations. 

He explained that without Job Seeker payments both 

employers and employees were left very uncertain 

about the future. COVID, he said, is something we 

will all have to live with for a very long time and he 

called for more consultation and a detailed plan from 

the Government so that the accommodation and 

tourism industry can negate a better way forward. 

Dave said the pandemic was a humbling experience 

for CEOs because the COVID situation really 

highlighted how very important people are to this 

business. Not just guests, but also the staff who 

must be valued, trained, rewarded and retained. 

Finally, he plead for the Government to do better with 

both accommodation industry investment and with 

planning for a COVID-managed future. 

Geoff York, CEO of Crystalbrook Collection, agreed 

that the Government needs to draw a line in the 

sand for both the opening of international borders 

and for the vaccine rollout. He would also like to see 

an extension of a travel bubble to other countries 

beyond the current agreement with New Zealand. 

He said that although the pandemic was very 

disruptive to the Crystalbrook Collection, leading to 

the delayed opening of a new luxury Cairns property, 

the experience of COVID gave the hotel group an 

opportunity to go back to their roots and look at the 

original values of the brand. 

Graham Perry, Managing Director of BWH Hotel 

Group, said while COVID had been a humbling 

experience, it had also led to positive outcomes 

for the business, including a dramatic rise in direct 

bookings. Graham put this down to guests wanting 

to go straight to the source, for safety reasons, and 

to ensure free cancellations. 

He expressed confidence Australians will continue 

to gravitate back to trusted brands and that they will 

continue to travel domestically however, he added 

that the industry, alongside the Government, must 

invest more in regional travel. 

Key questions those attending the event were asked 

to consider for their own businesses included: 

What are your big focus points for the year ahead 

given the unlikely arrival of international guests this 

year? 

How are you refocusing to attract more domestic 

business? 

How much has the shortage of workers affected your 

business and how are you planning to combat the 

challenge in the future? 

What do you believe the next 24 months looks like 

for our city and our regional areas? 

Clear takeouts from the event are that a post- 

COVID world, people must be at the top of our list 

of priorities, alongside re-igniting passion for travel, 

investing in technology and offering exceptional 

accommodation experiences.

ACCOMMODATION NEWS 

ACCOMMODATION REPORTS FOR 2021 

It’s no secret that hospitality and accommodation 

businesses have been among the hardest hit by the 

COVID-19 environment and the flow on effect it has had 

on travel and social gathering. 

For hotel and accommodation managers there’s a 

glimmer of hope to be found in the latest research 

from global hospitality firm Amadeus which indicates 

occupancy rates are improving around the world. 

The Amadeus 360 Demand report for April 2021 shows 

that in Australia and New Zealand occupancy levels 

have risen from 30 per cent to 60 per cent in the period 

from February to April 2021. This is ahead of global 

occupancy rates for the month that were reported at 46 

per cent. Pre-pandemic, global occupancy rates in April 

were around 70 per cent. 

The data also showed people were starting to book 

further out. It states that for much of the past 12 months 

bookings were made with 0-7 days of travel – however 

in April that trend for last minute bookings appeared to 

be easing with bookings made 31-60 days in advance 

increasing from 6 per cent in the first week of 2021 to 

11 per cent in the week of April 25, 2021. 

Maria Taylor, Amadeus’ Head of Commercial 

(Hospitality) for Asia-Pacific said the outlook was 

improving. 

“From our survey, nearly half of hoteliers (48%) across 

Asia-Pacific said they expect pre-pandemic levels of 

occupancy to return in 2022,” Maria said. 

“And those expectations are supported by our data, as 

Australia and New Zealand’s occupancy growth in the 

first three months of the year reflect that strong appetite 

for travel. 

“Meanwhile technology continues to play a central role 

to help hoteliers adapt to changing traveller needs, as 

1 in 3 hoteliers surveyed in the Asia Pacific (33%) are 

turning to contactless technology to enhance guest 

experiences.” 

In a second report, Rebuilding Hospitality, based on a 

survey of 688 global hoteliers, Amadeus uncovered a 

number of trends worth noting. 

“FROM OUR SURVEY, NEARLY HALF OF 

HOTELIERS (48%) ACROSS ASIA-PACIFIC 

SAID THEY EXPECT PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS 

OF OCCUPANCY TO RETURN IN 2022,” 

MARIA SAID. 

It found 63 per cent of hoteliers surveyed believed 

leisure travel will drive their recovery with domestic 

leisure travel likely to represent about 45 per cent of 

their business in the year ahead. 

Asked about “vaccine passports” and whether they 

would ask for these to be presented before people 

would be allowed to stay at their venue opinion was 

divided with half of the hoteliers in the Asia region saying 

their considering the approach and half of the hoteliers 

in the Americas saying they would definitely not be 

going this way. 

In terms of the ongoing trends from COVID-19 that the 

hoteliers saw as being here for good were: 

• Enhanced hygiene measures with significant 

social distancing, sanitisation and visible hygiene 

measure. 

• A long-term reduction in guest and staff contact 

and stay over cleans – 21% indicating they 

planned to reduce daily housekeeping for 

guests. 

• More personalised tech driven guest 

experiences to ensure the “human touch” of the 

hospitality experience is not lost. 


FINANCE FOCUS 

LESSONS FROM COVID-19 

IN THIS MONTH’S EDITION OF QHA REVIEW MAGAZINE WE’VE ASKED A FEW OF OUR MEMBERS TO SHARE 

THEIR THOUGHTS ON HOW THE COVID-19 CHALLENGES HAVE AFFECTED THE FINANCE SIDE OF THE INDUSTRY 

AND TO OFFER MEMBERS SOME INSIGHTS TO BE AWARE OF RIGHT NOW AND IN THE TIMES AHEAD. 


Prosperity director Steve Gagel shares his thoughts on 

the finance scene below: 

This time last year the industry was contemplating the 

end to lockdown and the reopening of operations after 

a 3-month shutdown. In that time, the importance the 

community places on social interaction in hospitality 

venues has been highlighted and that should be 

celebrated industry-wide. The period has also turned 

the spotlight on business operations, particularly when it 

comes to managing finance. 

Operations during COVID-19 

For the year ended 2020, turnover was obviously 

affected, but most, if not all, of my clients had a better 

bottom line profit and this was based on two things. 

Firstly, the government assistance from federal, state 

and local levels definitely kept business whole along with 

major support from our banking sector. 

The Jobkeeper package definitely was the backbone 

of the assistance package and this, coupled with the 

Cashflow Boost, payroll tax removal, bank assistance 

with debt deferral and removal or deferral of rates, land 

tax and gaming taxes, definitely allowed pubs to be 

prepared to reopen in July 2020. 

The extension of asset write off provisions also allowed 

pubs to confidently invest in their assets during the 

shutdown period to offer better facilities upon opening. 

Secondly, every hospitality business was forced to have a 

good look at costs and most were stripped back to bare 

bones in order to prepare for the unknown future. With 

this heavy focus on costs, pubs were forced to critically 

review what costs were essential to a good operation 

and in the process, costs that were ‘nice to have’ were 

soon found out. 

The three-month time out also allowed management time 

to critically analyse what and why they had done things a 

certain way and to strategically analyse operations. The 

net result of this period is that the pubs coming out of 

lockdown were definitely leaner and meaner and more 

focussed on profitability as the risk of a second wave and 

further lockdowns was, and still is, a reality. Hardest hit 

was the CBD area as many offices were forced to shift to 

working from home to continue operations. 

High density areas were found to be hotbeds of 

transmission (i.e., Ruby Princess), and with panic running 

rampant, the workforce in general decided it was much 

safer to work from home. 

Up to last month, the state government still had more 

than half of its staff working from home. 

Over the past month, a push to get government workers 

back into the city has definitely improved this situation. 

There was a revolutionary push to use of technology in 

society in a small space of time. 

Cashless trade went up to a new level and to date, use of 

cash is very much in the minority. 

The other interesting observation during the lockdown 

period is the spike in online gaming mostly in unregulated 

and untaxed environments. Data from Illion showed 

that online gaming increased by up to 193% during the 

lockdown period – mostly to unregulated and untaxed 

providers. 

Post Covid recovery 

From the opening of pubs in July 2020, operations were 

in demand and the only thing slowing trade was the 

reduced capacity restrictions placed on venues by state 

government. 

This resulted in a supercharged ‘covid spike’ in gaming 

for July to September in most cases and through to 

December in some regions. Bar operations were relatively 

flat, if not down, up to 10% on the prior year and food 

struggled to gain traction until December 2020. 

With the relaxation of capacity numbers in November, the 

pre-Christmas period for most was a bonanza. 

The gaming boom definitely assisted pubs in getting up 

and running and set up pubs well, with most venues

FINANCE FOCUS 

SOCIETY’S NEED FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION AT A GOOD HOSPITALITY VENUE, ESPECIALLY IN TOUGH 

TIMES, HAS BEEN HIGHLIGHTED BY THIS COVID PANDEMIC AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY KEEN INVESTORS 

AS AN IDEAL TIME TO INCREASE THEIR HOLDINGS. 

coming off Jobkeeper after the September 2020 quarter. 

Hospitality venues without gaming (high level restaurants 

and cafes) struggled more and those on Jobkeeper in 

March 2021 with many of these forced to close their 

doors. 

Availability of staff was the biggest negative factor to 

come out of the covid lockdown. 

During the lockdown, obviously our international 

backpacker workforce dried up and this was coupled 

with the local hospitality workforce also using the 

shutdown and Jobkeeper to fund further studies away 

from the hospitality industry. 

Most venues across the country are still struggling for 

hospitality staff especially kitchen staff. The further west 

you go the harder it is to find staff. 

Succession & Estate Planning 

With the forced shutdown, many publicans also suddenly 

had extra time and thought about their own succession. 

We have had increased discussions with large family 

groups that typically have a retiring matriarch/patriarch 

with a child actively working in the business driving 

value in operations, with other children either partially 

connected or disconnected with the business. 

Sadly, with large sums of wealth, the inevitable happens, 

there is often a fight between siblings to work out their 

‘fair share’. 

We have successfully assisted our clients in dealing with 

this situation before it happens and have plans in place to 

ensure the family wealth is increased after the matriarch/ 

patriarch is no longer around to drive business 

Next round of high wealth ATO Audit activity 

The ATO definitely took off its gloves at the end of March 

2021 and is currently demanding compliance and 

searching for tax revenue to return back to the ATO. 

We have had clients in the ‘Wealth Australian Taskforce’ 

for the last ten years and we have successfully ensured 

operations are in compliance with the tax minefield that 

modern taxation law impose, especially on large and 

complex family structures including trusts, companies, 

joint ventures as well as the extended family members. 

The ATO have currently dropped their focus down to the 

next 5,000 wealthy Australians and have reinvigorated 

their push to understand how large family groups are 

structured and how individual entities interact with one 

another to ensure appropriate taxes are paid. 

Conclusion 

The resilience of the hospitality sector during these 

toughest of times has led to a crashing of yields with 

prices for hotels and gaming authorities at all-time highs. 

Society’s need for social interaction at a good hospitality 

venue, especially in tough times, has been highlighted 

by this COVID pandemic and acknowledged by keen 

investors as an ideal time to increase their holdings. 

We have seen most of the large Sydney family groups 

coming up to Queensland and snapping up venues in 

quick fashion. 

With many Victorians’ moving, or looking to move into 

Queensland, the state is poised to have hyper growth 

in the hospitality sector helped along by the opening of 

Queens Wharf Casino in 2023 and the prospect of the 

Olympic games in 2032. These two large occurrences 

will continue to keep the industry on its toes and drive 

business into the state. 

Steve Gagel, Director at Financial Advice 

Firm Prosperity. 

For more information: prosperity.com.au 


FINANCE FOCUS 

THE FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE ON BALANCING RISK 

AND INSURANCE COSTS 

FINANCIAL OFFICERS ARE ALL TOO FAMILIAR WITH THE PRESSURE TO EXERCISE TIGHT COST 

CONTROLS. THIS ARTICLE PROVIDES GUIDANCE TO THOSE LOOKING TO SAFEGUARD THEIR BUSINESS, 

ACHIEVE OPTIMAL PREMIUM OUTCOMES AND COST CONTAINMENT 


Gallagher Queensland’s Justin 

Riseley shares his tips on the 

current insurance market 

KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR 

FINANCIAL DIRECTORS 

The dual impact of a more 

challenging insurance market and 

the COVID-19 pandemic has seen 

premiums rising across a number 

of lines of insurance, and declining 

insurer appetite to underwrite 

certain risks. 

Securing optimal insurance 

protection is currently more 

challenging than it has been in 

recent years, requiring longer 

lead times ahead of renewal 

discussions. Now, more than 

ever, insurers will view businesses 

that can effectively demonstrate 

their proactive risk management 

provisions more positively. 

By investing the time to evaluate 

and challenge your current 

insurance program, you can define 

where changes can be made and 

understand where gaps in cover 

exist, to help you financially protect 

your business and ensure a positive 

outcome for your insurance. 

1. Reappraise your business 

risks strategically against the 

balance sheet 

Insurance is only one part of a 

risk finance and risk management 

process. Wherever possible, 

risks to the business should be 

mitigated or ideally removed. The 

majority of risks can usually be 

transferred to insurers as part of a 

risk management exercise, while 

others can be managed through 

the balance sheet based on your 

business’s capacity to do this. 

If there are changes to the scope of 

your insurance cover, it’s important 

to check the policy wording as part 

of any review or renewal of your 

insurance program. For example, 

insurers may elect to charge for 

cover extensions which previously 

had simply been included in 

standard cover. Understanding 

what this means for your business 

is a critical part of discussions with 

both your insurance broker and the 

insurer, to give you the information 

you need to assess whether to 

adjust or remove some elements of 

your insurance. 

Also consider the range of 

innovative insurance products 

available that may enable you to 

improve the cash flow position on 

your balance sheet, such as risk 

finance and contingent liability 

insurance cover. 

2. Level of business cover and 

insurance program structure 

Each year, carefully scrutinise 

the levels of cover required by 

your business as they may differ 

to when they were originally set. 

Establish how your insurance 

program should be structured in 

order to obtain the necessary limits 

at the best price. 

• Explore insurance products 

that you may not have 

considered before that are 

appropriate for your business 

e.g. trade credit insurance, 

which enables a business to 

feel secure in extending credit 

to their existing buyers or to 

pursue new buyers that would 

have otherwise seemed too 

risky. 

• While care needs to be taken 

that loss limits are suitable, it 

may not always be necessary 

to insure to full values or 

existing levels of cover. Review 

the impact of furloughing staff 

in relation to your employer’s 

liability coverage, as this may 

need to be reflected differently 

in the way your cover is 

arranged. 

• One area to focus on is 

the potential impact on the 

business following a major 

loss, considering potential 

mitigation factors and 

contracts with suppliers 

and customers. Loss limits 

adjusted to fit risk tolerance 

and financial scenario planning 

can both have a positive 

impact on insurance costs.

FINANCE FOCUS 

3. Robust management of 

claims 

As market conditions force higher 

deductibles on organisations, never 

has it been more important to work 

with a broker with in-house claims 

expertise, to help manage costs 

and support you through every 

stage of the claims process to: 

• Robustly defend employers’ 

liability (EL) and public liability 

(PL) claims. 

• Access the services of inhouse 

qualified loss adjusters 

who are there to represent 

you, in the event of a 

large property or business 

interruption claim. 

• Take a proactive approach to 

motor claims, early notification 

and management of claims 

can make a considerable 

difference to settlement costs. 

• Help you avoid common 

pitfalls, improving your 

chances of a faster resolution. 

4. Defining your insurance 

strategy 

In the current market environment, 

a close partnership with your 

insurance broker and insurers is 

more important than in recent 

years. As insurers place increased 

scrutiny in renewal discussions, 

early planning and preparation 

makes a significant difference. Here 

are three ways you can enable a 

positive discussion: 

• Being fully prepared to present 

your insurance and risk 

exposures to insurers along 

with a willingness to engage is 

often integral to a successful 

outcome. 

• Demonstrating robust risk 

management practices, 

strong contractual disciplines 

and being able to highlight 

how the business has 

adapted to meet trading and 

lockdown restrictions during 

the COVID-19 pandemic 

while maintaining good risk 

discipline is of particular 

value and interest to insurers. 

For example, implementing 

enhanced health and safety 

measures for employees 

and customers, adapting 

cyber policies to minimise 

exposures for home workers 

handling payments and other 

client information, as well 

as managing cash flow and 

creditors. 

• If you have a claims loss 

history, the presentation of 

a clear remediation plan is 

essential. Your broker can 

assist and guide on what is 

required. 

5. Insurance premium payment 

and adjustment 

One simple way of improving 

cash flow is to look at spreading 

insurance premiums over a number 

of instalments, either via a monthly 

premium option agreed with 

the insurer or through a formal 

premium financing arrangement. 

While this is now subject to more 

stringent underwriting criteria, both 

options are still readily available. 

Other options to consider include 

adjusting the scope of insurance 

cover based on estimated figures 

(turnover, wages, gross profit) onto 

an adjustable basis and setting 

minimum and deposit premiums at 

less than 100% of the estimated 

cost, which will help the initial upfront 

costs. 

TAKING ACTION - THE NEXT STEP 

Speak to your Gallagher 

broker about a confidential, no 

obligation review to stress test the 

fundamentals of your insurance 

program. This process sets out 

where changes or improvements 

can be made which will deliver 

better value, and demonstrate that 

it is fit for purpose. 

100% confidential review 

Having a fresh perspective and 

second opinion on your insurance 

can make a big difference. We 

are happy to conduct a review 

of your current insurance and 

risk management program 

confidentially, avoiding disruption to 

existing relationships. 

Avoid renewal chaos 

Our Gallagher business insurance 

specialists can undertake a review 

of your insurance program at 

any time within the term of your 

current insurance arrangements, 

irrespective of whether you have 

a long term agreement or whether 

you renew annually. 

It’s all about partnership 

We’re here to help. While 

undertaking a review of your 

insurance requires your input, 

we’ll aim to make things as 

straightforward and simple as we 

can so you can focus on the dayto-day 

running of your business. 

Get in touch with one of our 

hospitality experts for advice or 

a free of obligation discussion 

about your risk management and 

insurance. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

gallaghers.com.au 


FINANCE FOCUS 

SALES SLOWING IN A COMPETITIVE MARKET 

AS WE HEAD TOWARD THE BACK-END OF 2021 SALES OF HOTELS AND ACCOMMODATION VENUES 

CONTINUE TO HAPPEN, ALTHOUGH AT A SLIGHTLY SLOWER RATE THAN THE PEAK AT THE END OF 2020. 


Off Markets Hotel Group Business Director Chris 

Cameron said the trend was particularly noticeable in 

regional areas. 

“The hotel market Regionally has slowed somewhat,” 

Mr Cameron said. “The level of interest from late 2020 

to now has dropped off. 

“The big guys are eating into the market and buying 

multiple hotels in the same towns. They are also 

paying top dollar with unheard of acceptable yields for 

some assets. 

“The smaller hotels with minimal gaming are attractive 

and there is good appetite for these along with 

accommodation assets.” 

While the bigger players are certainly looking to 

expand, Mr Cameron said new operators were 

venturing into the market too. 

“We see a move with new operators thirsty for 

Accommodation assets or Hotel/ Motels and or FGC 

Motels and also Management Rights. 

“Because of COVID accommodation assets have 

become popular again. These assets have had their 

best trading year for years because of the drive too 

market and no international flying. People are also 

embracing the `See Australia’ campaigns and the 

marketing and value-add offers has stimulated this 

very well.” 

Asked what challenges buyers face in the current 

market Mr Cameron said competition was fierce. 

“There is a big consolidation in the industry with large 

corporate and big extended families gobbling up 

everything,” Mr Cameron said. “This limits competition 

and choice it’s also very restrictive to enter the market 

with these buyers taking most or all out. 

If people manage to buy a property Mr Cameron said 

the next challenge right now was to staff it properly. 

“I see staffing as a major problem moving forward with 

not enough trained and experienced senior managers 

on the ground in these new takeover businesses 

and people who also don’t know the local layout and 

cultures. 

For sellers, Mr Cameron said finding the right buyer 

and having time to wait for sales to process was key. 

“Ideally you need a very strong buyer with a cash 

position or a fair chunk of this. Lending is a slow 

process and regionally it is still tough for hotels and 

hospitality. Licensing and takeovers are also taking 

longer, so if you do sell, be prepared to be paid in five 

to six months from contracts being signed. 

“Money’s cheap and that’s great, however, I don’t see 

a lot of bankers or major banks doing a lot of loans 

regionally or in western towns like they should be 

made to do to build these areas. Some towns do not 

even have a bank anymore. 

“The lending is still very postcode-based. Lending, 

in theory, is easier, but still reliant on other assets as 

security and the banks are differently lending to the top 

tier operators. 

“I think we need to see more on-the-ground regional 

lending to build business and regional business and 

maybe more Government-based regional business 

loans.” 

Waratah Debt Capital Managing Director Mark Anyon 

said finding finance could be a drawn out process. 

“In conversation with hotel valuers in recent months 

it had been noticed that most of the bank’s chosen 

panel valuers are inundated with work. During 2020 

most of the banks deferred their requirement to 

have their clients revalue their hotels but have now 

re-commenced. This has put considerable strain on 

settlements and created drawn out transactions with 

valuation reports taking 3-6 months. 

“Many hoteliers are willing buyers at the moment but 

are unable to enter into transactions with confidence 

as they require venues to be revalued so they can 

determine their borrowing capacity. 

Mr Anyon said his business offered more 

accommodating lending terms than the industry is 

accustomed to and may be able to help buyers in this 

instance. 

As for the longer-term outlook, Mr Cameron is upbeat. 

“I think the next two years you will see a lot of new 

movement in the accommodation market as those 

markets grow regionally and show excellent returns,” 

he said.

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call +61 421 023 196 liam.hukins@tanda.co

THE ROYALS 

he 

Travel the country and in almost every town you visit, you’re 

bound to come across a ‘Royal’ hotel of some form. 

Typically these hotels were born out of the colonial era 

in Australia, and their name seemed to pay homage 

to the settlement’s motherland and the British 

monarchy and or nobility which was hugely popular 

in the 19th and 20th centuries. 

Hotels such as the Royal George and Royal 

Albert, join other royal-related hotel names such 

as the Imperial, Empire, Crown, Victoria, Palace 

and Union hotels. 

Having researched the history of Australian 

hotels, La Trobe University Emeritus Professor 

of History and author Diane Kirkby, explained 

in an interview with ABC News, that the term 

‘Royal” was a popular name for a pub in Australia for 

about 120 years. She explained there were likely two 

scenarios for the rise in title royalty; marketing or colonial 

communications. 

“Perhaps it was a claim to heritage, loyalty and national 

sentiment by association with the legacy of English inns as 

places of accommodation, meals and hospitality,” Professor 

Kirkby said linking the connotations between business and 

attracting the right clientele. 

Additionally the royal nod could be attributed to the 

location of hotels that were positioned along horse 

and coach transport routes which supported the 

delivery of mail and goods, such as Cobb and 

Co staging posts. 

“Those coaches carried the mail; the Royal 

Mail. Maybe those many Royal Hotels 

were the official coach stops," Professor 

Kirkby suggested. 

In this feature series we’ll check in 

on some of Queensland’s “royalty” 

oyals 

and explore their history and 

links to the British 

monarchy.

THE ROYALS 

THE ROYAL HOTEL HARRISVILLE 

The Royal Hotel Harrisville may not have been 

established in honour of the British Royal Family 

and Australia’s colonial origins, but the hotel’s origin 

story also started with a strong lady at the helm. 

The small cotton-growing town located 25km south 

of Ipswich began with humble beginnings soon 

after brothers George and John Harris acquired land 

in the area to grow cotton. What followed was an 

emerging farm community, a rail line, a school and of 

course the local pub. 

It was a determined woman by the name of 

Margaret Wholey, who set out to establish a hotel in 

Harrisville, which she accomplished in 1875, but it 

wasn’t without its obstacles. 

Townsfolk opposed the idea of a woman running a 

licensed hotel claiming it was inappropriate, but as a 

young widow with three children, she defeated their 

petition of 250 signatures (which was later revealed 

to have contained the names of children) and 

became one of the few female licensees in Australia 

at the time. 

Margaret passed away in 1915 and the hotel burnt 

down five years later but was rebuilt with the 

building that stands in its place today. However, 

known as ‘the lady in the black dress’, legend 

has it that Margaret has made many supernatural 

appearances at the Royal Hotel over the years 

prompting the hotel to be listed as one of Australia’s 

most haunted sites. 

Despite never having experienced a sighting of the 

lady in the black dress, hotel owner Monika Patrick 

once engaged ghost investigators, Paranormal 

Paratek Queensland, who revealed some interesting 

findings, including a misty figure, believed to be 

Margaret, walking past the entry to the kitchen and 

footsteps along the hardwood floor throughout the 

night of the investigation. 


THE ROYALS 

“IT WAS PRETTY REMARKABLE IN THOSE EARLY DAYS FOR A WOMAN TO RUN A PUB, BECAUSE 

WOMEN WEREN’T ALLOWED IN HOTELS; AND ISN’T FUNNY THAT THE TOWN OF HARRISVILLE IS 

DOMINATED BY WOMEN IN BUSINESS, THERE ARE LOTS OF LITTLE BUSINESSES UP THE ROAD 

RUN BY WOMEN,” MONIKA EXPLAINED. 


Unperturbed by the alleged paranormal activity, and 

over a cup of tea, the current owners decided to 

dive head first into the hospitality industry. 

Following in the footsteps of its original licensee, the 

Royal Hotel’s publican is another woman, Monika 

Patrick, who together with her husband Steve, have 

owned the hotel for the past 10 years. 

“We accidentally fell into the place,” Monika said. 

“Over a cup of tea I said to Steve, ‘maybe we should 

make an offer’, and never in a million years did I 

think they would accept the offer, and then we had 

to get finance. 

“So that’s how it all started, and when we bought 

the hotel, it didn’t have a licence and was shut down 

for a couple of years, but it was one of the oldest 

pubs in the area. 

“It was pretty remarkable in those early days for 

a woman to run a pub, because women weren’t 

allowed in hotels; and isn’t funny that the town of 

Harrisville is dominated by women in business, 

there are lots of little businesses up the road run by 

women,” Monika explained. 

The Royal Hotel is an old timber building with 

traditional Queenslander features such as wraparound 

verandahs and French doors adding to its 

character and historical charm. 

Set amongst a quaint country village, the Royal 

Hotel is a destination pub perfect for weary 

travellers. 

“It’s a small little village, and back in the day it was a 

thriving town which had a train line running through 

it. It’s actually quite pretty,” Monika explained. 

“We have a camel farm out here as well as camel 

milk and facial products. We have a hydroponic farm 

for herbs too - so it’s a country atmosphere out here. 

“We’re on 1.6 acres and we back on to a lovely 

creek so we get people coming to camp. They can 

go to the creek, they can kayak for a bit. So people 

come for a trip out, so it’s definitely a destination 

pub.” 

Focusing on the history of the town, the Patricks 

purchased three train carriages which have attracted 

the interest of film production companies. 

“We bought three red rattler train carriages and we 

managed to renovate the middle one and turn it into 

accommodation, but we haven’t been able to do the 

other two. Production teams come out to inspect 

the train carriages, which are beautiful, and the two 

end carriages still have their seats intact and are in 

good condition. One lady came in the other week 

who was also from a production company, and she 

wanted to use the trains for a horror show,” Monika 

said. 

As a destination pub, the Royal Hotel offers not only 

a beautiful backdrop in a country setting, it also 

offers plentiful servings of delicious food and good 

old-fashioned country service with a smile. 

“The setting is gorgeous, all our staff are amazing. 

I’ve had them for eight years and they offer a really 

nice welcome for our customers. We greet them with 

a smile on our faces and we have great food. We 

offer a great package and we’ve developed a really 

good reputation here at the Royal Hotel.”

THE ROYALS 


TOP DROP 

IPA 

Felons Brewing Co. 

GENTLEMEN’S ALE 

Boiling Pot 

Brewing Co. 

COAL MINERS 

STOUT 

B4 Hearts Brewing 

HOPMOSPHERE WEST 

COAST INDIA PALE ALE 

Colossal Brewing 

Simply put, we loved 

it. Nothing better than 

a great IPA and this is 

one. It’s tropical and juicy 

with flavours of mango, 

passionfruit and melon 

that are well balanced 

with a smooth bitter finish. 

It’s the kind of IPA that’s 

not over-the-top. You 

could happily drink it until 

the cows came home or 

until you felt so inclined to 

try riding a cow home. 

This brewery is truly 

crafting some absolutely 

incredible beers and this 

one is no exception. And 

if you’re old like me, this 

one will transport you right 

back to 1988 in Brisbane. 

That’s right, the British 

Pavillion at Expo 88. Their 

Gentleman’s Ale is a take 

on the famous ESB style 

(Extra Special Bitter), with 

a little twist. A rich copper 

colour with 25% rye malt 

in the recipe showcases 

a mellow bitterness and 

smooth finish. 

It wasn’t as black as 

night and super thick 

and syrupy like I was 

expecting, but it was 

certainly enjoyable all the 

same, bit more towards a 

brown ale. Smoked malt 

blends beautifully with 

chocolate and espresso 

notes and a magic roasty 

bitterness. It’s a respectful 

tip of the hat to Ipswich’s 

coal mining past and 

just the drop you love to 

savour beside a roaring 

log fire. 

I can’t recall tasting too 

many IPAs with apricot 

and mango notes but I 

tell you what, I like it! I like 

it a lot! Way better than 

orange for mine and a 

serious challenger to my 

favourites of passionfruit, 

pineapple and grapefruit. 

Unbelievably it is 7% ABV 

but you wouldn’t know it, 

it is super smooth. The 

first beer I have tasted 

from Colossal Brewing 

but on the back of this, I 

will be seeking out a few 

more of their beers. 


TOP DROP 

PHOENIX IPA 

Monteith’s Brewing 

Co. 

LOCAL PALE ALE 

Currumbin Valley 

Brewing Co 

ONCE WERE VIKINGS 

KVEIK YEAST FERMENTED 

IPA 

8 Wired Brewing Co. 

HOP ZOMBIE R 

TRIPLE IPA 

Epic 

Definitely of the ilk of 

English IPAs with a very 

strong malt backbone. For 

mine the malt overpowers 

any of the said pine, citrus 

and passionfruit notes. 

Disappointing. 

A refreshing, clean, crisp 

pale that is right on the 

money when it says it 

features, “subtle stone 

fruit and citrus hops on 

a malt base of saltine 

cracker.” The flavours are 

delicate and refined with a 

very, very, fine bitter finish. 

Lovingly crafted beers 

don’t need much more 

fanfare than that. 

Features the Norwegian 

farmhouse brewing superyeast 

kveik, and wow 

is it good. I think I have 

died and gone to Valhalla. 

The flavour profile of this 

IPA is all class. There are 

subtle notes of citrus rind 

and tropical fruit delivered 

with a smooth texture, 

low carbonation and a 

beautiful dry bitterness. 

The beer is made in 

Warkworth, NZ. I went 

there 9 years ago and 

loved it. Now I long to get 

back there even more. 

I confess I had a fair bit of 

trepidation sampling this 

beer. The first incarnation 

of Hop Zombie was the 

best beer I’ve had in 

the past three years ... 

and I have tasted some 

magnificent beers in 

that time. There was no 

way it could get better, 

even if this version was 

triple hopped and 10% 

ABV! Well, it turned me 

absolutely rabid. Now all 

I want is more along with 

some brains! Pink guava, 

passionfruit and ripe 

mango to the fore with no 

residual taste of alcohol. 

Incredible. 


A CRAFTY 

BUNCH 

W H Y N O T S T O C K & S U P P O R T 

4 Hearts Brewing 

The first brewery to open its doors in 

Ipswich in over 100 years, 4 Hearts 

brew masters are committed to 

premium local ingredients and 

profound taste. Preservative free and 

all natural ensuring the use of highest 

quality ingredients to consistently 

deliver a tasty beer every brew. Our 

core range features modern spins 

on traditional brews while our ever 

growing range of seasonal beers takes 

things to a more adventurous levels, 

utilising local seasonal produce as 

inspiration (honey, rosella or carrots 

anyone…) 

0439 439 710 

4heartsbrewing.com 

Aether Brewing 

Aether is more than just a brewery or 

just some beer. It is an expression of 

creativity, innovation and quality which 

is hand crafted by a team who treat 

each other as family. We are driven 

by our shared unrelenting passion for 

what we do and the dedication we 

have for great beer shows in each and 

every beer that leaves our home in the 

North of Brisbane. From our multiple 

award winning core range to our highly 

anticipated seasonal releases, we 

create a beer for every taste. 

07 3815 6455 

aetherbrewing.com.au 

Ballistic Beer Co. 

At Ballistic we have a simple theory. 

Fresh beer is the best beer. That’s 

why we brew in small batches, more 

frequently, and store it cold so you get 

the same blast of flavour our brewers 

do.Our pale ales, lagers, IPAs, sours 

and special releases will blow away the 

traditional ideas and expectations of 

what beer should be. 

Set in an old World War II ammunitions 

factory in the historic, industrial suburb 

of Salisbury Ballistic HQ is home to a 

team of innovative brewers who believe 

everyone should have the chance to 

enjoy a well crafted, quality beer. 

07 3277 6656 

ballisticbeer.com 

Helios Brewing Company 

Helios is the sun god of Greek myths. 

Each morning the rising sun marks 

Helios’ crossing over into the mortal 

world, driving a chariot drawn by 

wild horses that only he can control. 

Helios Brewing Company harnesses 

the sun’s power to sustainably create 

craft beer. Our brewing infrastructure 

has been custom-designed to 

maximise energy and water efficiency, 

minimize waste and carbon-footprint 

while capitalising upon Queensland’s 

renewable natural resources. We brew 

beers that are malt-forward, balanced, 

and intense using only the best 

ingredients, impeccable technique and 

sustainable practices. 

07 3392 9739 

heliosbrewing.com.au 

Slipstream Brewing 

Slipstream Brewing is an 

independently owned brewery based 

in Brisbane. We are a small but 

passionate team, producing some of 

the most accessible and sessionable 

craft beers in Australia. We’re the 

missing gap between bland beer and 

wanky beer, our beers hit the bullseye, 

brewed with nothing but pure flavour 

in mind. Hops are the heroes and 

we milk them for all their worth. We 

love the freshness, juiciness the zing 

and the zest. One sip, it tastes so 

good – capture that feeling and fill the 

fridge with it. Beer is the last thing you 

should settle on, so come and get 

caught in Slipstream. 

07 3892 4582 

slipstreambrewing.com.au 

Burleigh Brewing Co 

Founded in 2006 by Peta and Brennan 

Fielding, Burleigh Brewing was one of 

the first independent craft breweries in 

QLD. Now celebrating 15 year of the 

brand, Burleigh Brewing has upgraded 

their Taphouse in Burleigh Heads, won 

countless awards for both business and 

beer (a testament to their shared and 

individual strengths), grown to a team 

of 70, and in their own humble, hardworking 

way, helped transform the Gold 

Coast’s craft brewing scene into one 

of the most vibrant and thriving in the 

country. 

07 5593 6000 

burleighbrewing.com.au

Q U E E N S L A N D L O C A L S 

A CRAFTY 

BUNCH 

Terella Brewing 

Terella means “Little Earth”, and 

we’re building our vision of a dream 

brewery, drawing inspiration from 

science, a serious love of beer, and our 

connection to the local land. 

We’ve planted ourselves in North Arm, 

a rural setting between the hinterland 

and farms of the Sunshine Coast, 

surrounded by crops and free roaming 

cattle. Our concept is based on a 

sustainable cycle, producing what we 

need and using what we produce. 

22 rotational taps and a new exciting 

beer released every week! Pushing 

the limits of Hops and Grains to 

produce quality small batch brews for 

enjoyment. 

0492 929 357 

sales@terellabrewing.com.au 

terellabrewing.com.au 

Stalwart Brewing 

The Stalwart story began when 

Adam Tomlinson, founder and 

brewer, travelled with his wife Donna 

to the United States in 2008 and 

experienced the emerging craft beer 

scene there. The Stalwart Core Range 

of beers consist of classic styles 

derived from some of the greatest 

brewing regions in the world. They 

are brewed to the highest standard 

of craft and quality. The brewery’s 

founder was inspired to honour his 

ancestors who originated from some 

of these great brewing countries like 

England, Ireland, Scotland, USA and 

Australia. 

07 5441 3265 

stalwartbrewing.com.au 

Felons Brewing Co 

Founded by Brisbane locals, Felons 

Brewing Co. is a modern-day brewery 

proudly positioned on the banks of the 

Brisbane River. Our brewery is nestled 

down under the Story Bridge, within 

Howard Smith Wharves. We truly 

believe that beer is what binds us all 

to this great part of the world and as 

proud brewers, we believe in brewing 

with passion and freedom. 

07 3188 9090 

felonsbrewingco.com.au 

Granite Belt Brewery 

Granite Belt Brewery is a small batch 

brewery with a passion for creating 

unique, full flavoured beers that are 

perfect for every occasion. Our beers 

are made purely... to be enjoyed. 

We brew and bottle everything onsite 

in Stanthorpe on the Granite Belt, and 

is available for wholesale distribution 

07 4681 1370 

granitebeltbrewery.com.au 

Heads of Noosa Brewing Co. 

Heads of Noosa Brewing Co. is an 

Australian independently owned 

brewery located in the heart of 

Noosa on the Sunshine Coast. With 

a passion for lagers and a stubborn 

focus on quality, we strive to produce 

simply exceptional beers. After nearly 

a decade in the making, we are here 

for the long haul, and we hope you join 

us on this journey... 

1300 1 HEADS 

headsofnoosa.com.au 

Boiling Pot Brewing Co. 

Everything we do at Boiling Pot 

Brewing Co. is influenced by our 

birthplace, Noosa, with all its beauty, 

nature and damn fine beer-drinking 

weather. 

We named the brewery in honour of the 

first headland in Noosa National Park, 

Boiling Pot, if you know it, you know it. 

If we could bottle the feeling you get at 

Boiling Pot, it’d be a bestseller. 

At Boiling Pot, we take what we do 

seriously but we know we’re not 

saving the world. Our mission is 

simple: to make life that little bit better 

for beer drinkers, one beer at a time. 

#cheerseverybody 

0414 415 920 

boilingpotbrewingco.com.au 

The Catchment Brewing Co 

Catchment Brewing Co, located in a 

beautiful art deco building in West End 

is a fully functioning brewery, bar and 

restaurant and your one stop shop for 

all things craft beer, awesome food or 

functions. 

Whether sampling the medal winning 

core range beers named after iconic 

streets in the local catchment or the 

seasonal smash hits that will amaze 

you, it’s well worth a visit for a taste of 

West End. 

Catchment Brewing Co - For locals, 

by locals, everywhere. 

07 3846 1701 

bookings@catchmentbrewingco.com.au 

catchmentbrewingco.com.au

A CRAFTY BUNCH 

BOILING HOT 

IN NOOSA 


The average day time temperature in the middle 

of Winter in Noosa is a comfortable 21 degrees. In 

Summer it’s 29. At either end of that spectrum – it’s 

not too hard to imagine spending a good couple of 

hours drinking cold beer with friends and soaking up 

the cool coastal vibes of the region. 

For Boiling Pot Brewery owner John Scott Madill and 

brewer Pedro De Luca crafting “sessionable” beers 

that suit easy drinking in the south east Queensland 

climate in line with their “custom beer for here” ethos. 

John uses the example of the brewery’s IPA (India 

Pale Ale) which falls within the spectrum required to 

be able to apply IPA to the label, but at the end of the 

spectrum that is high on flavour and low on bitterness 

and heavy alcohol content. 

Boiling Pot Brewery started brewing from its current 

location in January 2019. It opened its tap room in 

September 2019 and had six months of trade under 

its belt before the COVID-19 enforced shutdowns of 

2020. 

Now, it’s back, with nine beers on tap including a 

pilot tap attached to a 100-litre brew set up that the 

brewer uses to trial new flavours for testing with the 

venue’s loyal followers. 

On the wholesale front Boiling Pot now has seven 

regular cans out in the bottle shops and venues 

between Noosa and Byron Bay, with the brand’s hero 

Golden Ale leading the charge in terms of volume of 

sales. 

“Our biggest seller is the Golden Ale. For us it’s our 

version of Noosa in a can – easy drinking, tropical ale 

– low bitterness, and that follows through to a lot of 

what we do,” John said. 

The rest of the range includes: 

• Bat Migration Black Lager – a beer traditionally 

brewed in Germany for summer consumption. 

• 22 Patels IPA – named after a cricket came in 

Bradford in 2018 where every player had Patel as 

their surname. 

• Best Behaviour – a mid-strength ale. 

• Our Lager – a lager inspired by the Munich Helles 

Lager – clear, unfiltered, with a malty sweetness. 

• Guava Sour – a tropical brew soured using local 

Kenilworth Dairy yoghurt. 

• Mango Passion Sour – the name says it 

all – tropical, fruity, packed with mango and 

passionfruit. 

On the seasonal front the brewery has a popular 

winter beer, the Gentleman’s Ale which is a take on 

the Extra Special Bitter style of beer and features 25% 

rye malt in its mix. 

The cans themselves have a story to tell and they’re a 

big part of the Boiling Pot brand. 

Graphic artist and illustrator Milan Chagoury has been 

a part of the journey since the early days, taking his 

experience building logos and art for the likes of hard 

rockers Parkway Drive and turning it into stylish labels 

guaranteed to catch the eye on the shelf.

A CRAFTY BUNCH 

. . . FOR JOHN THE MISSION IS 

PRETTY SIMPLE: “WE’D LIKE 

TO PARTNER UP WITH MORE 

VENUES AND GET MORE BEER 

OUT THERE INTO THE WORLD” 

As a business Boiling Pot is 

now predominantly labelling its 

cans rather than having the cans 

printed – making it possible to 

have a new can on the shelf in 

about four weeks. 

John said the Tap Room at the 

brewery was continuing to build 

a loyal following of locals, whilst 

also becoming a key part of the 

growing brewery tour trend for 

visitors to the region. 

The venue not only serves up 

great beer, it also offers European 

inspired share plates and pizzas. 

The plan for the venue is to 

monitor and organically grow that 

side of the business while putting 

extra attention into finding new 

customers for the beer to add to 

the almost 200 restaurants, pubs 

and clubs already stocking it. 

“For the foreseeable future our 

focus will be on increasing the 

wholesale side of our business. 

“The Tap Room’s good fun – 

we’ve never had one of those, 

so we want a period of time for 

making sure we’ve got that right. 

Asked about the nature of the 

craft brew scene on the Sunshine 

Coast John said it was a great 

time to be involved. 

Boiling Pot’s first ever venue 

was the Noosa Heads Surf 

Club – one of the busiest clubs 

in Queensland, and the volumes 

there continue to impress. 

“What I find is the venues are also 

learning here is that if they put 

local product on a menu – a lot of 

people who are visiting the area 

just want to try local and they’ll 

buy it,” John said. 

“There’s a lot to explore from 

an industry point of view and 

it’s awesome to be a part of it. 

Everyone’s really good. 

“I feel that it’s worth noting that 

I feel like every brewery you go 

to has nice points of difference, 

different approaches. All of the 

venues are offer more variety 

for people not to feel like they’re 

doing the same thing over and 

over again.” 

As for a final word – for John the 

mission is pretty simple: “We’d 

like to partner up with more 

venues and get more beer out 

there into the world”. 

Boiling Pot Brewery is at 130A 

Eumundi-Noosa Rd in Noosaville. 

Phone 07 5449 8360. 


OLGR SHOWCASE with Liquor Mike Sarquis Marketing Group (LMG) 

Welcome drinks - poolside at the Riley Crystalbrook 

LMG MEMBERS RECONNECT 

AT CAIRNS’ CONFERENCE 


Liquor Marketing Group (LMG) welcomed 150 

delegates to its 2021 Queensland Member Conference 

at the Riley Crystalbrook, Cairns on 18-21 May. 

LMG members from all over Queensland came 

together to reconnect after an extraordinary year. 

LMG’s Queensland State Manager Shaun Landy said: 

“We were thrilled to host our Queensland hotelier 

members and supplier partners at an event that 

celebrated our collective achievements throughout 

an unprecedented and challenging 12 months, while 

discussing new opportunities for future growth.” 

“We felt that Cairns was the perfect location to host 

the conference. Both the Queensland LMG team and 

the Queensland Bottlemart Members’ Committee 

agreed that it was important to support one of the 

tourist towns that had been hardest hit due to Covid. 

Over 150 delegates attended our 4-day conference 

in the luxurious and sustainable setting offered at 

Crystalbrook’s Riley Hotel.” 

LMG CEO, Gavin Saunders, presented a Business 

Review to the conference attendees where 

he showcased LMG’s strong performance for 

Queensland, with like-for-like sales growth up +19.9% 

for the 12 months ending April 2021 driven by 

Paul and Erica Comiskey 

consistent uplifts in customer count and basket size 

across all categories during this period. Strong growth 

was also consistent across all key liquor categories in 

Queensland. 

“The structure of LMG, being a membership-owned 

and governed group, is a strength which allowed 

us to make decisions and invest for member benefit 

during the uncertainties over the past year. Examples 

included paying member rebates six weeks early in 

March 2020 to support members’ cash flow and 

investing in additional marketing when other retailers 

pulled back,” said Saunders.

Liquor Marketing Group (LMG) SHOWCASE 

Gavin Saunders giving a performance update 

Brian and Catherine Fitzgibbons 

Mark Carroll, Tony Purcell, Mel Tait and Shelly Porter 

LMG’S MARKETING STRATEGY FOR 2021 

ALSO TAPS INTO THE GROWING NUMBER 

OF HEALTH-CONSCIOUS SHOPPERS. 

The impact of LMG’s strong marketing and promotions 

program was evident in LMG’s sales performance and 

shopper insights results last year. During the COVID 

period, Bottlemart enjoyed the highest percentage 

of planned purchases compared to other retailing 

groups; the result was a +10% increase in customer 

count and +13% growth in spend per customer. 

LMG also discussed how the enhancements made 

to its digital marketing and eCommerce platforms 

presents a big opportunity for member retailers. 

LMG’s online sales saw extraordinary growth (greater 

than 800%) during the COVID period and retention 

and reorder rates also increased, delivering enduring 

sales and new customers. 

Saunders said: “LMG members are well-positioned to 

benefit from our strong investment in digital catalogues 

and social media activity. We are also focusing on geotargeting 

to reach local customers that are unique to 

our members’ stores.” 

LMG’s marketing strategy for 2021 also taps into 

the growing number of health-conscious shoppers. 

‘Beverages for a Balanced Lifestyle’ is an area that 

LMG says their shoppers are increasingly exploring. 

LMG’s organic wine range has more than tripled in 

sales over the past 12 months; while in RTDs, there 

has been tremendous growth in brands with low and 

zero sugar, a surge in light RTDs – particularly in vodka 

and gin, and newcomer, Seltzer, has been making 

significant inroads since launch. 


PUB TALK with Paul St John-Wood 

State of Origin 2021 at Queensland Country Bank Stadium, Townsville 

TOWNSVILLE FOR THE WIN 


It was great to see North Queensland pubs get a muchdeserved 

shot in the arm (pardon the pun) from the State 

of Origin fixture in Townsville for Game 1. The spectacle 

was a great showcase for the region and reinforced 

the entertainment and hospitality that licensed venues 

can facilitate when given the opportunity. The State 

Government are to be commended for securing the 

event, and hopefully it is just the first of many. 

Wide Bay Region Hoteliers Meeting 

On Tuesday 15 June the QHA held the Wide Bay 

Hoteliers Meeting for publicans from around the region at 

the Carriers Arms Hotel. The lunch featured presentations 

from a range of QHA corporate partners and QHA 

representatives. Thank you to the hoteliers who were 

able to take time out of their businesses to attend the 

meeting, and thank you to the team at the Carriers Arms 

Hotel for hosting another great event for the QHA – we 

look forward to being back there again next year. 

Annual Liquor License Fees 

A simple courtesy reminder that annual liquor license 

fees are due and payable by Saturday 31 July. Don’t 

be one of the venues caught with unlicensed trade on 

or after 1 August. The fines are significant and OLGR 

are unsympathetic to any excuse. If you have financial 

hardship there are payment options available to you. 

Rockhampton Region Hoteliers Meeting 

On Wednesday 4 August the QHA will host a publican’s 

lunch for hoteliers and their key staff from around the 

Rockhampton Region. The lunch will feature discussions 

and business development presentations from a range 

of QHA staff and corporate partners. PFD Food Services 

will again generously showcase their products and 

provide a delicious lunch for all attendees, and of course 

our beverage partners will ensure everyone remains well 

hydrated throughout. Details of the Lunch have been sent 

to all venues in the Rockhampton Region and you still 

have time to register your attendance. 

QHA Regional Board Meeting – Cairns – Save the 

Date 

The tradition of the QHA Regional Board Meeting 

continues and this year Cairns is the chosen destination. 

The meeting will be held on Monday 16th August. 

Detailed invitations will be sent via post and email to 

hoteliers in North Queensland.

John Rozentals 

WINE 

Tim Adams: A real home-coming. 

HOME-COMING 

Tim Adams was dubbed the ‘last apprentice’ of Mick Knappstein, the 

legendary winemaker at the Clare Valley’s Stanley Leasingham winery and 

learnt much of the trade at the master’s feet. 

He went on from there to develop his own highly regarded eponymous label. 

When he purchased the Stanley Leasingham winery it was regarded by most 

in the valley as a real home-coming. 

The name (Mr. Mick Wines) said Tim, was a ‘no-brainer’. 

TOP SHELF with John Rozentals 

WINE OF THE WEEK 

MR MICK 2020 

Pinot Grigio ($17): 

MR MICK 2020 

Rosé ($17): 

MR MICK 2017 

Shiraz($17): 

Has been made from 

a selection of premium 

fruit from the Limestone 

Coast in the classic 

Italian style, with a hint of 

fruit sweetness backed 

by bright acidity and 

plenty of fruit flavour. Tim 

describes this easy-going 

style as following the 

core philosophy of the Mr 

Mick range of wines. 

This blend of grenache, 

sangiovese and 

tempranillo has already 

been awarded two gold 

medals and a trophy. 

“Our rosé is not just a 

consumer favourite, we 

love making the blend, 

because after each sip 

you just want another 

one, it is just that type 

of wine,” Tim said. And 

so say all of us. 

This elegant Clare 

Valley red is graceful 

yet flavoursome, 

gentle enough to 

enjoy on its own or 

great with a diverse 

range of food. Take it 

to your favourite Italian 

bistro or enjoy with a 

top chunk of steak off 

the barbie. 


TRADE DIRECTORY 

Here's 

cheers 

The 

QHA Podcast 

HOLDING REDLICH 

Full range of commercial legal services to assist the liquor and 

gaming industry, including all Liquor/Gaming applications and 

advisory, WHS, employment and property services. 

Robert Lyons | P: 07 3135 0559 

E: robert.lyons@holdingredlich.com 

Darren Anderson | P: 07 3135 0542 

E: darren.anderson@holdingredlich.com 

www.holdingredlich.com 

LISTEN IN TO THE BACKSTORY 

BEHIND THE INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS 

STORIES, THE LATEST PRODUCT 

RELEASES AND EVEN GET TO KNOW 

THE DECISION-MAKERS THAT 

IMPACT OUR INDUSTRY 

INSURANCE | RISK MANAGEMENT | CONSULTING 

Your trusted advisor, helping you identify the risks your 

business faces and finding the right insurance solution to 

protect the future of your business. 

Call: 1800 240 432 

www.ajg.com.au 

TUNE IN EACH MONTH ON 

MARKET LEADING BRANDS IN EQUIPMENT 

No matter the size, shape or demands placed on your 

business, we have the ability to deliver equipment that is 

functional, adaptable and reliable. Convotherm, Waldorf, 

Waldorf Bold, Turbofan, Washtech. 

P: 1300 268 798 E: info@moffat.com.au 

Service department: 1300 264 217 

YOU CAN ALSO LISTEN AT 

QHA.ORG.AU

TRADE DIRECTORY 

LEADING PUB AND HOTEL LAWYERS IN QUEENSLAND 

13cabs...24/7... 

WE’LL GET YOU THERE 

Need an Airport shuttle? 

Need your team transported? 

Need a parcel delivered? 

Sign up to 13cabs.com.au 

or Call Renata Sekulic 

0466 535 428 

Mullins’ hospitality team has unrivalled experience in the liquor 

and gaming sector, developed over 30 years. From greenfield 

applications and integrated developments to liquor and 

gaming compliance and employment advice - we are your 

one-stop-shop to ensure the best outcomes for your hotel. 

Curt Schatz, Managing Partner 

Direct: 07 3224 0230 

Email: cschatz@mullinslawyers.com.au 

mullinslawyers.com.au 

RAMSDEN LAWYERS 

The commercial team at Ramsden 

Lawyers has extensive expertise in 

hospitality, liquor and gaming law. 

Call us today for a free 30-minute 

consultation. 

P: 1300 749 709 

www.ramsdenlaw.com.au 

CASINO CONSOLES 

Footrest, slimline and cashless bases 

available. Casino Consoles, the only 

name you need when it comes to 

professional poker machine bases 

and screening. 

P: 07 3890 2969 

www.casinoconsoles.com.au 

SCIENTIFIC GAMES 

This new generation of exciting game 

content draws on the strength of 

Scientific Games to create one of 

the most dynamic game libraries 

in the market. 

P: 07 3458 9180 

www.sggaming.com/australia 

QHA 

MEMBER 

OFFER 

STODDART 

Stoddart are one of Australia’s leading manufacturers and 

importers of a large range of world leading equipment for 

food service and bar applications. 

Darrin Miller 

P: 0417 867 979 E: dmiller@stoddart.com.au 

stoddart.com.au 

CITY PROPERTY SERVICES 

Over 25 years of commercial cleaning services | Triple certified 

Quality assured | EcoClean Certified using environmentally 

friendly products. Get 2 weeks free with any 12 month 

contract when mentioning this advert. 

Free Quotations P: 1300 630 636 or 07 3391 2005 

www.citypropertyservices.co 


QHA PARTNERS & CORPORATE MEMBERS 

QHA PARTNERS AND CORPORATE MEMBERS ARE VALUED PREFERRED SUPPLIERS TO THE QUEENSLAND HOTEL INDUSTRY. 

THE BUSINESSES LISTED IN THIS DIRECTORY ARE KEEN SUPPORTERS OF HOTELS IN QUEENSLAND AND THE QHA ENCOURAGES 

MEMBER HOTELS TO UTILISE THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES. IF A BUSINESS WISHES TO FIND OUT HOW TO BECOME A QHA 

PARTNER OR CORPORATE MEMBER, PLEASE CALL DAMIAN STEELE, QHA INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT MANAGER ON (07) 3221 6999. 


ACCOUNTING/ TAX 

BDO Australia 

Ph: 07 3237 5999 

bdo.com.au 

HLB Mann Judd - 

Chartered Accountants 

Ph: 07 3001 8800 

hlb.com.au 

Prosperity Advisers QLD 

Ph: 07 3007 1971 

prosperityadvisers. 

com.au 

SW Accountants & 

Advisors 

Ph: 07 3085 0888 

shingwing.com.au 

Hotel Accountants Pty Ltd 

Ph: 07 5560 8988 

hotelaccountants.com.au 

McGrathNicol 

Ph: 07 3333 9800 

mcgrathnicol.com 

Professional Client Services 

(QLD) P/L- Accountants & 

Business Advisors 

Ph: 07 3209 4452 

pcsqld.com.au 

ARCHITECTS / REPAIRS 

REFURBISHMENT/ 

RECONSTRUCTION / 

CONSTRUCTION 

Ashley Cooper 

Construction 

07 3142 5915 

ashleycooper.com 

BSPN Architecture 

Ph: 07 3851 9100 

bpsn.com.au 

Paynters - Design & 

Construction 

Ph: 07 3368 5500 

paynters.com.au 

Rhinoplay 

Ph: 0419 536 709 

rhinoplay.com.au 

Rohrig Constructions 

Ph: 07 3257 4411 

rohrlg.com.au 

Open Projects 

Ph: 1800 461 421 

openprojects.com.au 

BWC Constructions Pty Ltd 

Ph: 0403 579 997 

bwcgroup.com.au 

Hot Concepts Design and 

Construction 

Ph: 07 3277 7740 

hotconcepts.com.au 

ICM Construction 

Ph: 1300 798 107 

icmco.com.au 

IQ Construct 

Ph: 0401 483 209 

iqconstruct.com.au 

New Life Restorations 

Ph: 1300 356 633 

newliferestorations.com.au 

Tonic Design 

Ph: 07 3852 5100 

tonic.cc 

BEVERAGES 

Accolade Wines 

Ph: 07 3252 7933 

accolade-wines.com 

CUB Premium 

Beverages 

Ph: 07 3666 4104 

cub.com.au 

Brown-Forman 

Australia P/L 

Ph: 07 3010 2000 

brown-forman.com 

Campari Australia Pty Ltd 

Ph: 07 3253 1801 

camparigroup.com.au 

Carlton & United 

Breweries 

Ph: 07 3666 4104 

cub.com.au 

Coca-Cola Amatil 

Ph: 13 26 53 

ccamatil.com 

Diageo 

Ph: 07 3257 0800 

diageo.com 

Ice & Beverage Solutions 

Ph: 5578 9820 

iceandbeverage.com.au 

Lion 

Ph: 07 3361 7400 

lionco.com 

Liquid Specialty 

Beverages 

Ph: 07 5440 2006 

liquidsb.com.au 

Pernod-Ricard Australia 

Ph: 07 3340 5471 

pernod-ricard.com 

Red Bull Australia 

Ph: 02 9023 2892 

redbull.com.au 

Samuel Smith & Son 

Ph: 07 3373 5777 

samsmith.com 

Sirromet Wines 

Ph: 07 3206 2999 

sirromet.com 

Southtrade International 

Ph: 07 3085 7418 

southtradeint.com.au 

Treasury Wine Estates 

Ph: 03 9685 8000 

treasurywineestates.com 

Heads of Noosa Brewing 

Co. 

Ph: 0401 399 625 

headsofnoosa.com.au 

Nextgen Liquor Marketing 

Pty Ltd 

Ph: 0414 654 778 

nextgenlm.com.au 

BUILDING SUPPLIES 

& SERVICES 

Bunnings 

Ph: 07 3452 5725 

bunnings.com.au 

Artistic Flooring 

Ph: 07 3890 7799 

artisticflooring.com.au 

EDUCATION, TRAINING 

& EMPLOYMENT 

Best Security - Security 

and Training 

Ph: 07 3212 8460 

bestsecurlty.net.au 

Frontier Leadership 

Ph: 0423 097 246 

frontierleadership.edu.au 

Federation Academy 

Ph: 0423 097 246 

federationacademy.edu.au 

MLKA Hospitality 

Recruitment 

Ph: 07 4128 8400 

mlkarecruitment.com.au 

Professional Hospitality 

Ph: 07 3160 8132 

professionalhospitality. 

com.au 

TAFE Queensland 

Ph: 1300 308 233 

tafeqld.edu.au 

Tribe Workforce Solutions 

Ph: 07 3238 0808 

tribeworkforce.com.au 

Zenith Hospitality Staffing 

Solutions 

(07) 3002 4000 

zenithhospitality.com 

ENERGY GAS/POWER 

BOC Limited 

Ph: 07 3212 4135 

boc.com.au 

SolarXpress 

Ph: 07 5495 6222 

solarxpress.com.au 

TransTasman 

Energy Group 

Ph: 1300 118 834 

tteg.com.au 

Bromic Heating 

02 9426 5222 

bromicheating.com 

Building Tuner 

Ph: 0422 218 375 

buildingtuner.com.au 

ELGAS 

Ph: 02 9672 0777 

elgas.com.au 

Energy Saving Products 

Pty Ltd 


energysavingproducts.online 

FINANCES, BANKING, 

INSURANCE & 

INVESTMENTS 

Beyond Payment 

Systems Pty Ltd 

Ph: 07 3505 2217 

beyondpaymentsystems. 

com.au 

BDO Australia 

Ph: 07 3237 5999 

bdo.com.au 

Commonwealth Bank of 

Australia 

Ph: 0476 824 307 

CommBank.com.au 

Gallagher Insurance 

Brokers 

Brisbane: 07 3367 5000 

Nth QLD: 07 4753 5311 

Toowoomba: 07 4639 7102 

ajg.com.au 

Green Finance Group 

Ph: 0457 883 700 

greenfinancegroup. 

com.au 

GSA Insurance Brokers 

Ph: 02 8274 8138 

gsaib.com.au 

St.George Industry 

Banking 

Ph: 0435 438 306 

stgeorge.com.au/ 

business 

Waratah Debt Capital 

Ph: 0448 681 783 

waratahmanagement. 

com.au 

Westpac Banking 

Corporation 


westpac.com.au 

Austcover 

Ph: 0412 286 511 

austcover.com.au 

Banktech 

Ph: 1800 080 910 

banktech.com.au 

BUPA - health insurance 

Ph: 134135 

(quote ID 2109197) 

bupa.com.au 

Trinitas Australia Pty Ltd 

Ph:1300 836 025 

trinitas3.com.au 

FURNITURE SUPPLY 

Table Top Innovations 

07 5532 7191 

tabletopinnovations.com.au 

FOOD & ASSOCIATED 

BUSINESSES 

PFD Food Services 

Ph: 131 733 

pfdfoods.com.au 

CTB & Co 

(Cooking the Books) 

Ph: 1300 911 282 

cookingthebooks.com 

Simon George and Sons 

Ph: 07 3717 1400 

simongeorge.com.au 

GAMING & RACING 

Ainsworth Game 

Technology P/L 

Ph: 07 3209 6210 

ainsworth.com.au 

Aristocrat Leisure 

Industries 

Ph: 07 3727 1600 

aristocrat.com.au 

IGT 

Ph: 07 3890 5622 

igt.com.au 

Konami Australia 

Ph: 02 9666 3111 

konamiaustralia.com.au 

MAX 

Ph: 0436 839 857 

max.com.au 

Scientific Gaming 

Ph: 02 9773 0299 

scientificgames.com 

Simtech 

Ph: 07 5596 6993 

simtechcreations.com 

Tabcorp Keno 

Ph: 07 3243 4113 

tabcorp.com.au 

TAB 

Ph: 1800 823 888 

tab.com.au 

UTOPIA Gaming Systems 


utopiagaming.com.au 

Australian Pokie Consoles 

Ph: 0413 261 777 

clubsandpubs.com.au 

Casino Consoles 

Ph: 07 3890 2969 

casinoconsoles.com.au


QHA PLATINUM PARTNERS 

HOSPITALITY 

CONSULTANTS 

HOTEL & BAR SUPPLIES 

AHS Hospitality 

Ph: 07 5512 6143 

ahshospitality.com.au 

Clear to Work 

Ph: 07 3399 2894 

cleartowork.com.au 

Commercial Licensing 

Specialists 

Ph: 07 5526 0112 

clslicensing.com.au 

BOC Limited -Gas/ 

Reticulation Supply 

Ph: 07 3212 4322 

boc.com.au 

Reward Hospitality 

Ph: 07 3341 5929 

rewardhospitality.com.au 

Andale Beverage Systems 

Ph: 07 3421 5200 

andale.com.au 

QHA DIAMOND PARTNERS 

DNS Specialist Services 

Ph: 0433 906 809 

dnsspecialistservices.com.au 

FSM 

Ph: 0400 099 992 

fsm-pl.com.au 

DWS Hospitality Specialists 

Ph: 07 3878 9355 

dws.net 

Stoddart 

Ph: 0437 576 447 

stoddart.com.au 

Frontline Hospitality 

Queensland 

Ph: 07 3319 1863 

frontlinerecruitmentgroup. 

com/hospitality 

Now Book It 

Ph: 0415 445 529 

nowbookit.com 

HOTEL BROKERS / 

REAL ESTATE / 

PROPERTY VALUERS 

Off Market Hotels 

Chris Cameron 

Ph: 0477 271 875 

offmarkethotels.com.au 

QHA GOLD PARTNERS 

HOSPITALITY 

CONSULTANTS 

Nuvho 

Ph: 07 3357 9951 

nuvho.com 

Professional Hospitality 

Ph: 07 3160 8132 

professionalhospitality. 

com.au 

Prostaff Events Pty Ltd 

Ph: 07 3061 8644 

facebook.com/Prostaff-Events 

HOTEL ENTERTAINMENT 

Fox Sports 

Ph: 0403 061 412 

foxsports.com.au 

Foxtel for Business 

Ph: 1300 720 630 

austar.com.au 

Sky Channel 

Ph: 07 3228 6344 

Freecall: 1800 251 710 

skychannel.com.au 

The Card Network 

Ph: 1300 375 346 

thecardnetwork.com.au 

Nightlife - Music & Video 

Freecall: 1800 679 748 

nightlife.com.au 

Pro Score - Sporting 

Promotions 

Ph: 0431 366 800 

proscore.com.au 

Rooks Entertainment 

Ph: 07 4068 8633 

rooks-entertainment.com.au 

Power Jeffrey & Co - 

Hotel Brokers 

Ph: 07 3832 6000 

powerjeffrey.com.au 

CRE Brokers 


crebrokers.com 

HTL Property 


htlproperty.com.au 

JLL 

Ph: 07 3231 1311 

jll.com.au 

LEGAL 

Mullins 

Ph: (07) 3224 0222 

mullinslawyers.com.au 

Corrs Chambers 

Westgarth – Lawyers 

Ph: 07 3228 9778 

corrs.com.au 

Bennett & Philp Lawyers 


bennettphilp.com.au 

Commercial Licensing 

Specialists 


clslicensing.com.au 

Holding Redlich 

Ph: 07 3135 0500 

holdingredlich.com 

Ramsden Lawyers 

Ph: 07 5554 1964 

ramsdenlaw.com.au 

Trans Tasman Energy 

Group 

BDO Australia 

Power Jeffrey and 

Company 

Best Security 

Platypus Print 

Packaging 

Rohrig Constructions 

St George Bank 

Red Bull Australia 

BSPN Architecture 

BOC Limited 

Paynters 

Prosperity 

Advisers QLD 

QHA SILVER PARTNERS 

Ice & Beverage 

Solutions 

QHA BRONZE PARTNERS 

H&L 

Complete Property 

Service Australia 

Green Finance Group 

GSA Insurance 

Brokers 

HLB Mann Judd 

13cabs 

Beyond Payment 

Systems 

Rhinoplay 

Open Projects Group 

Simtech 

Off Market Hotels 

UTOPIA Gaming 

Systems 

Pillow Talk 

Liquid Specialty 

Beverages 

me&U 

MSL Solutions 

SolarXpress 

Southtrade 

International 

SW Accountants & 

Advisors 

The Card Network 

Cashzone 

Waratah Debt Capital 



APPROVED 

MANAGER’S 

LICENCE 

LIQUOR 

BUYING GROUPS 

Bottlemart 

Ph: 1300 733 504 

bottlemart.com.au 

Independent Liquor 

Group 

Ph: 07 3713 2751 

ilg.com.au 

LIQUOR 

WHOLESALE GROUPS 

JC Eco Blasting 

Ph: 0417 702 227 

jcecoblasting.com 

Lotus Commercial Pty Ltd 

Ph: 1300 653 536 

lotusfilters.com.au 

Luxxe Outsourced Hotel 

Services 

Ph: 0426 263 636 

luxxe.com.au 

Tru Security Services 

Phone: 0452 377 662 

trusecurity.com.au 

13001 COMMS Pty Ltd 

Ph: 1300 126 667 

13001comms.com.au 

TRANSPORT 

A.P. Eagers Limited 

Ph: 07 3109 6731 

apeagers.com.au 

13cabs 

Ph: 132 227 

13cabs.com.au 

WASTE MANAGEMENT 

RESPONSIBLE MANAGEMENT 

OF LICENSED VENUES 

TRAINING 

“HONESTLY THE BEST TRAINING 

SESSION! FUN AND LIGHT-HEARTED 

WHILE BEING VERY INFORMATIVE AND 

KNOWLEDGEABLE. THANKS, QHA.” 

OTHER COURSES OFFERED: 

Online RSA/RSG Training 

Gaming Nominee Training 

Employment Relations Training 

Employment Relations Webinar 

ALM (Australian Liquor 

Marketers) 

Brisbane: 07 3489 3600 

Townsville: 07 4799 4022 

Cairns: 07 4041 6070 

almliquor.com.au 

Terella Brewing 

0408 920 759 

terellabrewing.com.au 

OTHER / 

UNIFORMS / 

PROMOTIONAL 

Pillow Talk 

Ph: 07 3248 4900 

pillowtalk.com.au/ 

commercial 

Total Uniform Solutions 


uniform.com.au 

POINT OF SALE / 

PAYMENTS 

Cashzone 

Ph: 0466 148 752 

cardtronics.com.au 

H & L Australia Pty Ltd 

Ph: 1800 778 340 

hlaustralia.com.au 

MSL Solutions 

Ph: 0448 134 625 

mslsolutions.com 

Bepoz Retail Solutions 

Ph: 1300 023 769 

bepoz.com.au 

SUPERANNUATION 

lntrust Super Fund 


intrust.com.au 

TECHNOLOGICAL 

PRODUCTS & SERVICES 

me&U 

Ph: 02 9057 8500 

meandu.com.au 

BSV 

Ph: 1300 244 727 

bigscreenvideo.com.au 

BYTO 

Ph: 0402 561 539 

Byto.com.au 

DQ VIP Systems 

Ph: 0448 749 008 

getdqd.com 

Forum Group 

Ph: 07 3338 3435 

forumgroup.com.au 

foundU 

Ph: 07 3876 3783 

foundu.com.au 

IDU Technologies Pty Ltd 

mitch@idu-identification.com 

idu-identification.com 

JB Hi-Fi Commercial 

Division 

Ph: 07 3360 9925 

jbhifi.com.au 

Bottlecycler (QLD) Pty Ltd 

Ph: 1300 306 039 

bottlecycler.com 

Envirobank Recycling 

Ph: 07 3063 7677 

envirobank.com.au 

Responsible Management of Licensed Venues 

Training is a mandatory training requirement 

for those applying for a liquor licence, and 

applicants for an Approved Manager’s Licence. 

Training is offered face to face at regional 

centres throughout Queensland. 

For more information please contact the 

QHA Training Centre 

Ph: 07 3221 6999 Fax: 07 3221 6649 

Email: training@qha.org.au 

Web: www.qha.org.au 

Banktech 

Ph: 1800 080 910 

banktech.com.au 

Harris Data Systems 

Ph: 07 5535 7677 

harrisdata.com.au 

PRINTING / PACKAGING 

Platypus Print Packaging 

Ph 07 3352 0300 

www.platys.com.au 

SECURITY / CLEANING 

Best Security 

Ph: 07 3212 8460 

bestsecurity.net.au 

Complete Property 

Service Australia 

Ph: 07 3180 3800 

cpsa.online 

CMBM Facility Services 

Ph: 07 3391 1040 / 

0419 708 715 

cmbm.com.au 

JVG Sound Lighting & Visual 

Ph: 07 5599 1222 

jvgsound.com.au 

onPlatinum ICT 

Ph: 0402 281 561 

onplatinum.com.au 

SafeVisit 


safevisit.com.au 

Scantek Solutions 

Ph: 1300 552 106 

scantek.com.au 

Schmick Cards 

Ph: 07 5514 6616 

schmick.com.au 

Tanda 

Ph: 1300 859 117 

tanda.co 

TableTime Pty Ltd 

Ph: 0405 052 682 

tabletime.com.au 

Vix Vizion Pty Ltd 

0413 026 918 

www.vixvizion.com

GOLF CHALLENGE 

JULY 19-21 

Join us 

FOR THIS EXCLUSIVE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY WITH 

MEMBERS AND PARTNERS OF THE AHA STATE BRANCHES 

Limited to just 25 teams | Each team must include at least 1 publican. 

Golf Challenge package includes: 18 Holes of golf on Dent Island, buggy 

hire, breakfast, lunches and dinners, beverages, arrival cocktails and on-island 

transportation. Non-golf playing packages also available. 

For costs and an itinerary please contact: 

Kelly-Anne Mott Events and Partnerships Officer 

kmott@qha.org.au (07) 3221 6999

01_QHA_July_Online

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