Response to the Proposed Vibrancy Reforms

What are the proposed impacts on the club sector?

The key proposed changes impacting the club sector include:

• The removal of the 5km rule, so local residents are not required to become members. ClubsNSW has continuously advocated to L&GNSW and Minister Harris’ office for this change.   
• The Secretary (L&GNSW) to have the power to impose conditions on a class of licensed premises or all licenses in line with the Regulation — this could include outdated conditions that are no longer relevant being removed, older licenses with few imposed conditions may be updated as needed, and older licenses with few imposed conditions may be updated as needed. 

What was ClubsNSW’s feedback?

ClubsNSW prepared a submission responding to the proposed reforms and highlighted the following (among other things):

• We support the removal of the 5km rule, which has discouraged many locals from visiting clubs and placed an administrative burden on venues.  However, as member-based organisations, clubs should still have the option to require membership for local residents as outlined in their constitution.
• We have concerns about L&GNSW's ability to impose licence conditions more flexibly, especially given the rapidly evolving regulatory environment. We believe a strong framework should be in place that supports consultation, limits the use of this power to minor, proportionate items that do not incur excessive costs and requires ministerial approval. Further information is needed on the proposed change's practical implementation and the framework around it.  

We will keep you informed as soon as we have any updates on the progress of these reforms.

Once the updated 24-Hour Economy Strategy is released, we also anticipate more substantial and beneficial measures for clubs will be considered, so stay tuned!