Licence breach costs Black Swan

THE Black Swan Hotel will close its doors for 24 hours on New Year’s Day and will install ID scanners after breaching its liquor licence.The hotel’s owners met with Bendigo police at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a compulsory conference on Monday.Yesterday, acting licensing inspector David Rowe said the breaches related to amenity issues, including cigarettes being discarded from the second floor windows and assaults near the venue.“It’s a good outcome for the police and the community,” he said.“A lot of the punishment options include fines but a suspension of trading is something that is clearly looked at more and more.“Obviously VCAT was keen to ensure they were doing the right thing. At the end of the day venue operators have a big responsibility and they need to understand what happens in their venues impacts on the community.”Hotel co-owner Andreas Bazzani said the conference was held as a mediation to assess several minor licensing breaches over the past eight years and the hotel accepted the punishment.“We accept that it’s part of the process,” he said. “We worked collaboratively with Victoria Police to devise measures which will be implemented in a set time frame to improve the safety of patrons, protect the amenity of the area and provide further training for staff and security. Holding a liquor licence is a big responsibility and there are always ways in which we can improve our operations. “Working with Victoria Police has helped us define areas where we can can make some changes/improvements to our operations and make sure the Black Swan retains its position as a safe and quality venue.”