Ms BADGER – Minister, just a question in relation to the coronial inquest into Robert Bo Xu and Jarrod Davies. The recommendations in this report did cross a couple of portfolios. In those strictly relating to Police, are you able to outline the government’s position on the recommendations and any progress on implementing them, specifically the following two:
Formal guidelines be developed and implemented for information sharing
between CBOS and Tasmania Police,
and
between Tasmania Police and the Liquor and Gaming Branch and Tasmania Police and CBOS so that regular, random spot checks of licensed premises are conducted, any potential breaches are fully investigated and if appropriate prosecuted and any proper disciplinary action is then taken against the licensee under the Liquor Licensing Act 1990 or against the licensee or crowd controller.
Mr ELLIS – Thanks, Ms Badger, I will pass that to the commissioner.
Mr BODNAR – Through the minister, in relation to those recommendations, to the second one involving Tasmania Police and CBOS, which specifically relates to security agents and their licensing and checking of their particulars, we have prepared a draft – I’ll use the term -‘letter of understanding’ (LOU). I’ve recently sent that off to one of the deputy secretaries through Justice to consider. That’s been some really good work that we’ve done since those findings were handed down, only very recently I must say. We have had an inspector work on those guidelines, or the LOU, with a senior member from the Department of Justice. They are certainly well advanced. I’ll continue following up with Justice to see their perspective on the draft that we’ve forwarded them.
In relation to the first recommendation around Liquor and Gaming, I met with the Commissioner for Licensing following a recommendation from a coroner. That related to the unfortunate death of a gentleman from Queenstown who was killed in a motor vehicle crash. From that inquiry it was ascertained that he consumed an amount of alcohol at a licenced premises in Queenstown and unfortunately drove at some stage after leaving. Unfortunately he was killed in a single vehicle crash. As a result of that coronial and that recommendation, as I say, I’ve met with the Commissioner for Licensing. I’ve written to our commands. As a result of that, there have been some random spot checks conducted since that coronial finding was handed down. From memory, I think it was Mr Webster who was the coroner who presided over that coronial matter. We’re well advanced there.
There have been a couple of operations that I’m aware of, more so in the southern district, where we’ve had the divisional inspector from the Hobart Police station out with Liquor and Gaming representatives and also representatives from CBOS, as I understand it. We have issued some infringement notices to licensees. We’ve moved a number of people on. That’s all designed about keeping people safe and also making sure that the licensees are complying with their obligations under the legislation. We’re well advanced in relation to both of those.
