Information on the role of the Commission and its commissioners.
In May 2007, the State Government introduced reforms to the State's liquor licensing legislation. One of the major changes to the Liquor Control Act 1988 was the replacement of the Liquor Licensing Court with a Liquor Commission to primarily provide a flexible system with as little formality and technicality as practicable.
The Liquor Commission Western Australia:
In accordance with section 9 of the Liquor Control Act 1988:
In accordance with section 9A of the Liquor Control Act 1988:
The commission is constituted by 3 members whilst determining the following matters:
The Liquor Commission consists of a chairperson and at least three, full, part-time or sessional members. At least one member of the commission is required to be a legal practitioner as defined in the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2022 or have been admitted to legal practice in another state or a Territory.
Each member of the commission is appointed by the Minister for Racing and Gaming on a full-time, part-time or sessional basis for a maximum period of five years.
The member or members who constitute the panel in relation to an application/appeal shall be selected by the chairperson, who will give consideration to their knowledge or experience.
Liquor Commission members:
Ms Power graduated with a Law degree from Murdoch University in 2004 and has been working predominately in property, development, corporate and commercial law since that time. Prior to studying law, she was a secondary school teacher teaching visual arts. In 2017, Ms Power became the principal of the private law practice Power Commercial Law. She is also the legal member of the Local Government Standards Panel.
Mr Van Hattem is a barrister with experience in commercial, government and criminal law matters. Prior to joining Francis Burt Chambers, he worked as a solicitor at Freehills, Aboriginal Legal Service, Rio Tinto and the State Solicitor’s Office.
Mr Shanahan graduated from the University of Western Australia (UWA) with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1988 and was admitted to the Supreme Court of WA the following year. Mr Shanahan has over thirty years of experience in legal practice, primarily in litigation and dispute resolution. His practice has focused on commercial disputes, regulatory matters, administrative law matters, insurance and risk management matters, and building and construction disputes. Mr Shanahan has practiced as in-house Counsel, in private practice and in the public sector. His skillset includes advocacy in a wide range of Courts and Tribunals. Mr Shanahan is currently General Counsel and Director of Governance at UWA and a member of the Board of the Youth Legal Service.
Ms Hass holds a Bachelor's degree in Law (with Honours), an Arts degree, and a Master's degree in Law. Until December 2014, Ms Hass was an elected member of the Council of the Law Society of WA where she is now Chair of the In-House and Government Lawyers Committee of Council. Until June 2011, Ms Hass was University Secretary, Director of Governance and Special Legal Counsel at the University of Western Australia. Prior to this, she was General Counsel and University Secretary at Macquarie University in Sydney. Before taking up the Macquarie position, she was General Counsel to Curtin University of Technology in Perth, where she established that University's first in-house legal service. Advice was provided at both Curtin and Macquarie Universities in administrative law, governance, intellectual property, dispute resolution, contract/commercial law, property law, and major litigation management.
From 2011 to the end of June 2022, Ms Hass was General Counsel, Legal Services with the WA Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (formerly the Department of State Development) where she headed up a small in-house legal team working on major resources projects and other State initiatives. She was the first national president of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association from Western Australia and a past Board member of the RSPCA and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA).
Ms Rowe graduated from the Inns of Court School of Law, London in 2003 after completing her LLB Honours degree at Reading University and a Diploma in European Legal Studies at the University of Maastricht, Netherlands. She has practised as a solicitor in both England and Australia and was admitted as a Lawyer in the Supreme Court of WA in 2010. She currently works in property management and is a member of the Local Government Standards Panel WA.
Mr Di Francesco is Special Counsel at Pragma Lawyers and practices in the areas of corporate law, commercial law, property law and commercial litigation. He has been a director of several companies and organisations in the real estate, sport and media industries.
Ms Davies was admitted to practice as a lawyer in 2014 and has gained experience in both large commercial and boutique firms since then. She is presently a senior lawyer at Vitalis Legal, a boutique commercial firm in West Perth.
Ms Davies has practised in both commercial and litigation areas, including appearances before the Supreme Court of Western Australia, the State Administrative Tribunal and the Liquor Commission.
Ms Brown has extensive law enforcement experience including corruption prevention, risk profiling, undertaking and overseeing high level investigations and responding to complaints and disciplinary matters related to complex and sensitive issues.
Mr Brotherston has over 20 years' experience as a director and company secretary and has held executive and senior management positions in postal services, construction and transport and logistics industries. He is currently employed with a major lithium mining company, with responsibility for contracting, procurement and supply chain management. He graduated from the University of Canterbury with a Bachelor of Laws, was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1998 and admitted as a Legal Practitioner of the Supreme Court of Western Australia in 2011.