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Under the Liquor Control Act 1988 (LC Act), the Director of Liquor Licensing (DLL) has the discretion to grant or refuse any application if the DLL considers this to be in the public interest.¹ The DLL requires certain applicants to fill in this Public Interest Assessment (PIA) form and provide supporting evidence that their application is in the public interest.² If you are applying for the grant of any of the following licences, or the removal of one of these types of existing licence to another premises, you will need to complete a PIA to provide evidence that your application is in the public interest:

• hotel/hotel restricted
• tavern/tavern restricted
• liquor store
• nightclub.³

A PIA is also required if you are applying for an extended trading permit for extended hours, which has a duration of more than 3 weeks⁴, or for a temporary bar (refer to the Temporary bars policy). The DLL may also ask for a PIA to be prepared as part of any application under the LC Act, and will ask for one if it would assist in deciding whether the grant of the application is in the public interest. 

The DLL will consider the following factors when determining whether granting the application is in the public interest, but this list is not exhaustive:

• the harm that might be caused due to the use of alcohol
• whether there might be a decrease in the amenity, quiet or good order of the locality
• whether people who live or work nearby might suffer offence, annoyance, disturbance or inconvenience
• how it might affect tourism, culture and the community.⁵

The level of detail required will be unique to each PIA. If you do not provide enough information, your application might not succeed or you might be asked to provide further information.

Your completed PIA will be made publicly available and may be advertised on the DLGSC website, allowing the community an opportunity to make submissions on it. Because it will be made public, do not include sensitive or personal information on this form. You can complete this PIA by taking a common-sense approach and you don’t need a lawyer or a consultant to fill it in. The PIA form is a guide, and it is up to the applicant to satisfy the DLL that their application is in the public interest. If you do not have enough space, attach extra pages or prepare a separate submission. If you prepare your PIA as a separate submission, please refer to each of the question numbers on this form, so we know what question you are responding to.

Lodge this form by submitting it with your application through the online portal.

Online portal

Notes

1. LC Act s33(1)
2. LC Act s38(3)
3. Liquor Control Regulations (LC Regs) r9EA
4. LC Regs r9F
5. LC Act s5 and s38(4).