State government pledges 3am licences and dog-friendly pubs in hospitality overhaul

At a gathering in Richmond’s London Tavern, Premier Ben Carroll presented a suite of hospitality reforms aimed at modernising outdated rules. The package would eliminate the need for venues to apply for extensions beyond 1 am, granting an automatic right to serve until 3 am, and would repeal a 1984 prohibition on dogs inside pubs, leaving the choice to individual publicans. Carroll argued the changes would attract more customers, increase beer sales and create jobs in the nighttime sector.

Liquor Regulation Minister Enver Erdogan backed the dog-policy shift, noting that venue owners know their clientele best. Labor also pledged to shorten liquor-license approval from 11 weeks to six weeks, a move welcomed by small-business owners such as Nic Sandery of Molly Rose Brewery. The reforms follow a petition by The Rose Hotel’s general manager Neil Spark, which gathered nearly 25,000 signatures after council officers forced a dog ban at the Fitzroy venue.