Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie Woolf spoke with Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce

Transcript

Katie Woolf spoke with Hospitality NT CEO Alex Bruce · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now. Hospitality NT CEO
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Alex Bruce, Good morning Alexoday.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: Katie, welcome back. Congratulations on the gong.
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Ye oh, thank you very much. I appreciate it.
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: Thanks mate.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: It's good to be back and tell you what Australia
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Day yesterday. How did it all go from your perspective?
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah? Really well, you know, no surprise. Territorians took the
• 0:23
  Speaker 2: opportunity to make a four day weekend where they could
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: by taking Monday off, so accommodation in the city and
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: our restaurants and bars around the city were quite busy
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: all weekend and through to yesterday. A lot of great events.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: Yesterday I spent time down at your Mix one or
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: four point nine one yea beach at dow and Trailer
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Boat Club yesterday it was quite good. Storm rolled through
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: and half the crowd disappeared, but luckily it cleared and
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: people just kept coming waves the locals throughout the afternoon.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Waterfront was very busy. They had the Odds Run event
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: and then the after run activities down there which really
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: kicked off a quite a busy day down there. Nooney
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: Cabin and I spoke to Tony this morning. They got
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: really good trade being that end location for the ute run. Yeah,
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: and even down Lichfield Hotel down in Bachelor they kicked
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: off an event bitrain affected, but even they reported that
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: they saw new families from Darwin that they hadn't hadn't
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: seen before. So that's good.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: It is good to hear. And I'll tell you what
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: we know that you know, it's been such a well.
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: Twenty twenty was such a tough year. We're all hoping
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty one is going to be better. And do
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: you reckon we've been off to a good start, Alex.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Oh, absolutely, I think I think the firing gunment probably
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: went off for an early Christmas last year and we're
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: still running in first place at the moment when you
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: look across the country.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and that is good to hear. But look, I
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: know that there are still some concerns around the territory.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: One of those is around the BDR. There has been
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: a lot of discussion over the years about whether the
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: BDR would be rolled out into pubs. I understand something
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: is on the cards for Tenant Creek at the moment.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: Can you talk us through it?
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: Yeah, and look, the Liquor Commissions having a public hearing
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: down Intendant Creek next week and we're participating down there
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: and we'll go through their due process for all of that.
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: But this really has become a bit of a lightning
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: rod issue for country pubs, remote roadhouses and way sidings
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: right across the territory. You know, we didn't hear about
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: this as a policy public policy initiative of the government
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: prior to the election, four months into a four year term,
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: and it suddenly is a tugly head. I just need
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: to say, this isn't about condoning selling to ban drinkers
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: on premise, That's not what it's about. This is a
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: very bad policy that will hit already. Over Regulated business
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: is hard and it affects the public's view of our
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: businesses as well. And you know at the moment you
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: have to pull out your driver's license for every transaction
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: in a bottle shop. Piece you've gone through, you've gone home,
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: and you've gotten the bottle of wine for the party,
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: you have to go back, you have to do it again.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Fair enough, this potentially would be every time you go
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: up to the bar. Also, what happens when you shout around?
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: Are you meant to check with all your mates? Whether
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: they're on the BDR. Wow, that kind of information. They
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: might not want to be too forthcoming. They might just
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: be you know, having a drive dely or a drive
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: said for whatever reason is a bit of a health kick.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: Do they now need to tell all their extended family
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: and friends when they are on the BDR. We think
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: this has got some really large impacts out on the community. Yes,
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: And nineteen nine point nine percent of all BDR scans
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: a green screen, you know, legitimate sales. So what the
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: hell of ninety nine point nine per cent of it's
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: done wrong? To have another bit of red tape and cock?
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: So, Alex, what so obviously that public hearing is going
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: to be happening in Tenant Creek. I mean, we know
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: that Tenant Creek's got some real issues when it comes
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: to you know, to people obviously abusing alcohol. But what exactly, so,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: what are you expecting to come out of that hearing?
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: I mean, is this do you reckon this is going
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: to actually happen? Do you think we are going to
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: see a change around country pubs all around Ust where
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: you've got to actually sort of you know, show your
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: idea every time you buy a drink.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: Look, so Tenant Creek. Unfortunately, like all of the communities
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: in the territory, including Dale and Palms, and you know,
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: they do have their crime issues, they do have their
• 4:16
  Speaker 2: antisocial issues. We don't shy away from that. We've got
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: the toughest rules in the country in ten And Creek
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: right now, the bottle shops are only opened three hours
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: of a day for six days of the week. There
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: is no trade on a Sunday. The licensees in town
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: that are affected by that are happy to keep those high,
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: onerous restrictions as are rather than face ever increasing ones
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: just because someone thought it was a good idea. Look,
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: it's really challenging TenneT Creek specifically. It impacts the two
• 4:48
  Speaker 2: pubs in town, but not the two clubs. Even though
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: they open at the same time for on premise customers
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: at the same time of day. They have a different
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: demographic that attends the pubs versus the clubs. And we
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: really do get a little bit concerned where you've got
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: the same community dealing with the same issues, yet a
• 5:08
  Speaker 2: venue with a high Indigenous customer base gets additional rules
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: and the club up the road with the non Indigenous
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: customers in it gets exempted.
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Alex do you think that this is a real possibility
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: here that the BDR that we will wind up in
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: a situation where you're having to use your license across
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: the rest of the Northern Territory as well in.
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: Pups look in an otherwise quiet time of the year
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: when everyone's just enjoying their time with family or watching
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: the cricket. This went completely through the regional network. My
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: phone rang hot and melted down, Alice Springs, Catherine. They're
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: not buying the argument that this will just be contained
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: to Tenant Creek. If this is coming in in Tenant
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: very quickly, it will be expanded to the rest of
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: the regional Northern Territory And by that stage you really
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: have to question whether or across the north of the
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: barham A line and come to a pub near us
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: up here as well. Wow. So look, we are calling
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: on Michael Gunner and Natashaphile. This is a policy position.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: They need to state do they support BDR in pubs
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: in the Berkley and the territory, Yes or no? They
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: spend a lot of time rewriting the liquoric last term.
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: It makes it very clear that the BDR is owned
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: and controlled by the Minister and the Minister determines who
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: is captured by it, and at the moment it's the
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: bottle shops. So we don't think it's good enough for
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: them to hide behind the Liquor Commission and say there's
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: a process.
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: Alex, we are going to have to wrap up. But
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: just very quickly, are you able to tell us if
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: this does roll out right across our regional town centers
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: and potentially in you know ops in Darwin, what kind
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: of impact will this have on our pubs?
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: Massive? Either, so if it's at the door, you have
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: to have an additional staff cost at all your entrances.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: People that are on the BDR that might not have
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: told their family and friends who just wanted to come
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: for a meal and a coke will be shamed at
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: the door, maybe even denied entry or given a wristband
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: and be outed in that setting. Or it's every time
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: you go up to the bar you have to pass
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: your idea across. It doesn't matter if if your second
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: beer or your third. There is no policy developed on
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: what happens when I go and buy around So three
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: of my mates, who's responsible with one of them's on
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: the BDR or not? This has massive cost implications, not
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: to mention what kind of symbol a we sending to
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: the rest of the country when we should be telling
• 7:41
  Speaker 2: them come here, enjoy a holiday. We want you to
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: be good tourists. We're safe if we have this level
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: of our Gestapo style rules.
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: Alex, just very quickly, there'll be some people listening this
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: morning who go, you know what, We've got a real
• 7:56
  Speaker 1: issue with alcohol in the territory. Maybe we all just
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: need to suck it up. What would you say to them.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: I'd say we have very tough supply style restrictions. Further
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: tightening them alone will not fix our issues. We have
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: to start looking at individual responsibility. We have to start
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: looking at our harm minimization programs out there and really
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: saying whether they're working or not.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: Alex Bruce, Hospitality and TCEEO. I always appreciate your time.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for coming on.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: This morning here, Katie Otiber, thank you.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: We're going to take a very short break when we
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: come back. Well, we've just got Dave Tollner this morning
• 8:35
  Speaker 1: for the big issues with Maddie Hepworth. Damien Hale has
• 8:37
  Speaker 1: had to pull out at the last minute. But gee,
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: I'm keen to hear from you this morning about what
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: Alex Bruce has just said to us. We know that
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: there is going to be that public hearing in Tenant
• 8:47
  Speaker 1: Creek around the BDR being utilized in pubs in Tenant Creek.
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: They're hearing obviously from the public, but what are your thoughts?
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: How would you feel about having a BDR in pubs
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: across the terror Trey as well.