An incident register is a record of certain types of incidents that occur at a licensed premises. During Licensee and Advanced Licensee Training, you will learn about keeping and maintaining a liquor incident register.
Who should keep a register?
A liquor incident register is mandatory if you are the licensee of a premises that is:
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authorised to sell or supply liquor after midnight at least once a week on a regular basis
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located in the Kings Cross or Sydney CBD Entertainment precincts – with the exception of packaged liquor licences or on-premises licences without a Primary Service Authorisation (PSA), and the class is not a theatre or cinema
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party to a liquor accord and required to keep an incident register under the terms of the accord
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required to have an incident register due to a specific licence condition.
However, best practice is that all licensed premises maintain an incident register. They are a useful compliance tool and can be part of responsible practice in your business.
What should be recorded?
A register should include details of incidents that involve:
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violence on your premises, vessel or at your event
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anti-social behaviour in or in the immediate vicinity of your premises, event, or vessel (when docked)
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people being removed from your venue or event
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someone needing medical treatment.
The Liquor Act 2007 and the Liquor Regulation 2018 describe the types of incidents you must record in your register (outlined in the Licensee training course handbook: Module 3.11). However, we encourage you to record any incident that helps you get a better understanding of events that affect the safety of your business and customers. This may include any incident:
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involving intoxication
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concerning complaints about noise disturbances
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concerning Work Health and Safety, public liability and regulatory issues.
Benefits of keeping a liquor incident report?
Maintaining an incident register will give you a better understanding of incidents that affect the safety of your licensed premises and customers.
It will also help you to develop appropriate strategies to reduce the risk of alcohol-related violence and anti-social behaviour at your licensed premises.
An incident register provides the ability for a licensed premises to make detailed contemporaneous notes of incidents should the incident need to be reviewed at a later point in time.
We encourage all licensees to maintain an incident register even if it is not a requirement for your licensed premises. They are a useful compliance tool and can form part of your venue's responsible practice.
Where can I find it?
You can download an approved version of the incident register for Kings Cross and Sydney CBD venues, or visit the Liquor & Gaming NSW website to purchase a bound incident register book.
