BEATRICE THOMAS, The West Australian November 11, 2009, 2:15 am
WA TOURISM COMMISSION / UNKNOWN ©
Some of Perth's leading developers have cast doubts on plans for the long-planned luxury hotel on Mt Herschel as the Rottnest Island Authority prepares for a second attempt to find a developer for the project.
The project collapsed in March after more than two years of negotiations when a consortium led by Broadwater Hotels and Resorts pulled out.
Broadwater chief Scott Cogar blamed the failed deal, which came after the consortium invested $1 million, on an 11th-hour decision by the RIA to shift all "hidden" site risks to the group.
RIA chairman Laurie O'Meara confirmed this week that a new tender for the project was likely to be sought in the next two weeks.
Developer Barry Humfrey, whose company made up one-third of the consortium, ruled out tendering. "We've been through that once, and not again," he said.
Mr Humfrey also questioned the level of interest in the development in the current market.
David Kennedy, director of hotels at real estate services firm CB Richard Ellis, said developers would have to overcome challenges such as carting materials to the island and the ongoing costs of running a hotel on an island.
He said hotel developments were hard enough to get off the ground in Perth let alone on Rottnest. "I don't see it being simple at all," he said.
Tom Galopoulos, whose company Saruman Holdings bid for the first tender, said he would be surprised if there was any interest given the short lease offered last time and RIA constraints on the developer.
"People have rung me and I've just told them the same thing. I don't think anyone would be stupid enough, especially in these times," he said.
Seashells Hospitality Group managing director and WA Tourism Council president Paul King said his company would not re-tender and that the Government should build the hotel and lease it to an operator if it wanted it built on the island.
Brookfield Multiplex and Mirvac Fini also said they were not interested.
Luke Saraceni, of Saracen Properties, said he would look at the project but believed hotel operators would be unwilling to pay more than a management fee to run the hotel, making it "unbankable" for developers.
Mr O'Meara, who initially flagged the new tender process to start in May, said the delay was unjustifiable and frustrating but the RIA was "making sure that we get it very carefully done".
He said there had been early interest from companies in the Eastern States and overseas to build the four-star hotel.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Drinkers should accept responsibility - AHA
AAP
November 11, 2009
A HIGH Court ruling that has cleared any duty of care pubs owe customers for how much alcohol they consume may strain relationships between small town publicans and their local customers, the peak body representing hotels and pubs says.
The High Court overturned a Tasmanian Supreme Court ruling that had ultimately found a pub and its licensee had breached duties of care which led a customer's death. The case examined whether the pub had breached duties of care involving returning the patron's keys to him prior to his motorbike crash and death in 2002.
Australian Hotels Association spokesman Hamish Arthur said the case was an "extremely tragic event" that did little to ease the pain of the family concerned.
But the ruling has helped to clarify the legal obligation that pubs owe people who have been drinking, he says.
"I think what we saw yesterday reinforced the need for customers in all licensed premises across Australia, not just hotels, to take responsibility for their own actions," Mr Arthur told ABC Radio.
While respecting the High Court's ruling, Mr Arthur conceded the decision may impact the relationships between publicans and their customers in regional areas.
"If you ever go to a regional or rural part of Australia, you would find that there are people that live locally that drink alcohol and other beverages at their local hotel and there's a different kind of relationship. It's a very complex one."
But any decisions made came down to individual circumstances, he said.
"Seventy per cent of alcohol is now consumed away from licensed premises and often we're seeing the situation where people are coming to licensed premises across Australia where they've been consuming alcohol or other substances before they get there."
Hoteliers were in a difficult situation to determine when a person had reached their alcohol limit, he said.
November 11, 2009
A HIGH Court ruling that has cleared any duty of care pubs owe customers for how much alcohol they consume may strain relationships between small town publicans and their local customers, the peak body representing hotels and pubs says.
The High Court overturned a Tasmanian Supreme Court ruling that had ultimately found a pub and its licensee had breached duties of care which led a customer's death. The case examined whether the pub had breached duties of care involving returning the patron's keys to him prior to his motorbike crash and death in 2002.
Australian Hotels Association spokesman Hamish Arthur said the case was an "extremely tragic event" that did little to ease the pain of the family concerned.
But the ruling has helped to clarify the legal obligation that pubs owe people who have been drinking, he says.
"I think what we saw yesterday reinforced the need for customers in all licensed premises across Australia, not just hotels, to take responsibility for their own actions," Mr Arthur told ABC Radio.
While respecting the High Court's ruling, Mr Arthur conceded the decision may impact the relationships between publicans and their customers in regional areas.
"If you ever go to a regional or rural part of Australia, you would find that there are people that live locally that drink alcohol and other beverages at their local hotel and there's a different kind of relationship. It's a very complex one."
But any decisions made came down to individual circumstances, he said.
"Seventy per cent of alcohol is now consumed away from licensed premises and often we're seeing the situation where people are coming to licensed premises across Australia where they've been consuming alcohol or other substances before they get there."
Hoteliers were in a difficult situation to determine when a person had reached their alcohol limit, he said.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
One-in-four drivers over limit
Sunday Times Nick Taylor
September 05, 2009 06:00pm
EXCLUSIVE: THE WA Government will overhaul its $1m anti-drink drive campaign after it was revealed one in four had driven over or near the alcohol limit in the past year.
The figures, contained in a new government internal report, have prompted road safety experts to come up with a hard-hitting campaign pinpointing where every drink driver has been busted, to prove there are no so-called safe roads. It will be launched later this year.
The figures were revealed in a comprehensive survey of road safety. It also revealed motorists believe the chance of being caught on a midweek random breath test was relatively low and that one in five drivers do not know, or incorrectly assumed, the legal blood-alcohol limit.
The Road Safety Council spent about $4m of its $15m budget on road safety campaigns last year as part of the ``Towards Zero'' strategy aiming at a 40 per cent drop in people killed or seriously injured on WA roads by 2020.
Office of Road Safety executive director Iain Cameron said the change in strategy was not an admission that previous campaigns had failed.
``Drink driving is not an easy message to sell and it's not glib to say any negative trend concerns us,'' he said.
``We have to adjust our focus. We're not being complacent.
``Our challenge is to know where the community is at and this survey tell us what we need to look at, what is going on.''
The office was working with police on a new campaign that shows where drivers are caught.
``Police are targeting specific hotspots and have told us they are catching more drink-drivers,'' he said. ``What we don't want is people who are not in those targeted areas to think it's OK to drink and drive because they won't get caught.
``We want to keep them honest.''
The Sunday Times revealed in June that 3801 drivers were charged after booze bus tests -- up almost 1000 on the previous year and the most in five years.
The number of drivers who had been drinking when they took an initial breath test also rose more than 1100 to 4573.
Mr Cameron said most drivers were responsible, but there were a group that lapsed into drink-driving. Many found the concept of ``standard drinks' hard to accept.
The report, Road Safety in WA - the Community Perspective, is an ongoing survey that started a year ago. It questions 110 people a week -- 60 from regional WA and 50 from the metropolitan area.
Professor Ian Johnson, interim head of Curtin-Monash Universities Accident Research Centre said RBTs had a considerable effect when introduced because people were talking about them.
``There was a bigger perception of them being on the roads,'' he said.
``What we have to do now is keep police numbers up and regenerate interest. That is why this campaign is good because it will become a talking point.''
Opposition road safety spokeswoman Margaret Quirk said the survey was a powerful incentive for Road Safety Minister Rob Johnson to secure funding for ``Towards Zero''.
``Although he announced the strategy in March, Mr Johnson has failed to secure any funding for this critical program,'' she said.
``The Minister must immediately fund and implement the programs that will make both metropolitan and regional roads safer and restore the confidence of WA motorists.''
September 05, 2009 06:00pm
EXCLUSIVE: THE WA Government will overhaul its $1m anti-drink drive campaign after it was revealed one in four had driven over or near the alcohol limit in the past year.
The figures, contained in a new government internal report, have prompted road safety experts to come up with a hard-hitting campaign pinpointing where every drink driver has been busted, to prove there are no so-called safe roads. It will be launched later this year.
The figures were revealed in a comprehensive survey of road safety. It also revealed motorists believe the chance of being caught on a midweek random breath test was relatively low and that one in five drivers do not know, or incorrectly assumed, the legal blood-alcohol limit.
The Road Safety Council spent about $4m of its $15m budget on road safety campaigns last year as part of the ``Towards Zero'' strategy aiming at a 40 per cent drop in people killed or seriously injured on WA roads by 2020.
Office of Road Safety executive director Iain Cameron said the change in strategy was not an admission that previous campaigns had failed.
``Drink driving is not an easy message to sell and it's not glib to say any negative trend concerns us,'' he said.
``We have to adjust our focus. We're not being complacent.
``Our challenge is to know where the community is at and this survey tell us what we need to look at, what is going on.''
The office was working with police on a new campaign that shows where drivers are caught.
``Police are targeting specific hotspots and have told us they are catching more drink-drivers,'' he said. ``What we don't want is people who are not in those targeted areas to think it's OK to drink and drive because they won't get caught.
``We want to keep them honest.''
The Sunday Times revealed in June that 3801 drivers were charged after booze bus tests -- up almost 1000 on the previous year and the most in five years.
The number of drivers who had been drinking when they took an initial breath test also rose more than 1100 to 4573.
Mr Cameron said most drivers were responsible, but there were a group that lapsed into drink-driving. Many found the concept of ``standard drinks' hard to accept.
The report, Road Safety in WA - the Community Perspective, is an ongoing survey that started a year ago. It questions 110 people a week -- 60 from regional WA and 50 from the metropolitan area.
Professor Ian Johnson, interim head of Curtin-Monash Universities Accident Research Centre said RBTs had a considerable effect when introduced because people were talking about them.
``There was a bigger perception of them being on the roads,'' he said.
``What we have to do now is keep police numbers up and regenerate interest. That is why this campaign is good because it will become a talking point.''
Opposition road safety spokeswoman Margaret Quirk said the survey was a powerful incentive for Road Safety Minister Rob Johnson to secure funding for ``Towards Zero''.
``Although he announced the strategy in March, Mr Johnson has failed to secure any funding for this critical program,'' she said.
``The Minister must immediately fund and implement the programs that will make both metropolitan and regional roads safer and restore the confidence of WA motorists.''
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Eddie Withnell Banned
Coffin Cheater Eddie Withnell was this week banned from "entering or working in licensed premises, including nightclubs, pubs with extended trading hours permits, and licensed hotels and restaurants for a period of 5 years."
The ban was imposed by the Western Australian Liquor Commission after an application by Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan.
"The Liquor Commission has agreed with our submission that Mr Withnell is not a suitable person to be employed by licensed premises," Mr O'Callaghan said
The banned was issued by the Liquor Commission and relied on confidential police documents in handing down its decision. Whilst Mr Withnell has a criminal history he has been out of prison for 24 years.
Pubs may sue glassing 'grubs'
Article from: Australian Associated Press
HOTELIERS who sue people who "glass" other patrons might send society a worthwhile message, but they shouldn't count on receiving any damages awarded by a court, says a Brisbane lawyer.
Managers of Brisbane's Chalk Hotel are considering legal action against a 27-year-old man who allegedly threw a glass at a patron on Saturday morning, hitting another man's face and almost causing the loss of an eye.
Compensation law expert Mark O'Connor said he expected other hotels to follow suit, but he warned them that a successful civil compensation suit for loss of business reputation and threatening the safety of patrons could be a hollow victory.
"The sort of people who glass others in bars are generally grubs and they most likely don't have any money, and it's unlikely they would be able to pay up thousands of dollars in compensation," Mr O'Connor said.
"However, it's important for the hotels to send a message that they won't tolerate this sort of behaviour because patron safety, business reputations and livelihoods depend on a safe drinking environment."
A hotel could argue that because of the attacker's actions, the hotel's trade had been affected, staff disrupted and other patrons would be fearful of drinking at the hotel, which would damage goodwill and lead to lost trade, Mr O'Connor said.
"A civil suit against the alleged attacker is a novel move but not nonsensical, and in some ways I'm not surprised because hotels have had a gutful of glassing attacks and want to send a message to patrons," the lawyer said.
The glass thrower in the Chalk Hotel incident is facing criminal charges.
Amid growing concern over the frequency of glassings, the Queensland Government has issued show-cause notices to a number of pubs and clubs asking them to explain why they should not be forced to replace stubbies, cans and glasses with plastic cups.
A parliamentary inquiry is also examining whether earlier closing hours for pubs and clubs would reduce violence.
The police union has recommended a 2am closing time for nightclubs and midnight for suburban pubs.
HOTELIERS who sue people who "glass" other patrons might send society a worthwhile message, but they shouldn't count on receiving any damages awarded by a court, says a Brisbane lawyer.
Managers of Brisbane's Chalk Hotel are considering legal action against a 27-year-old man who allegedly threw a glass at a patron on Saturday morning, hitting another man's face and almost causing the loss of an eye.
Compensation law expert Mark O'Connor said he expected other hotels to follow suit, but he warned them that a successful civil compensation suit for loss of business reputation and threatening the safety of patrons could be a hollow victory.
"The sort of people who glass others in bars are generally grubs and they most likely don't have any money, and it's unlikely they would be able to pay up thousands of dollars in compensation," Mr O'Connor said.
"However, it's important for the hotels to send a message that they won't tolerate this sort of behaviour because patron safety, business reputations and livelihoods depend on a safe drinking environment."
A hotel could argue that because of the attacker's actions, the hotel's trade had been affected, staff disrupted and other patrons would be fearful of drinking at the hotel, which would damage goodwill and lead to lost trade, Mr O'Connor said.
"A civil suit against the alleged attacker is a novel move but not nonsensical, and in some ways I'm not surprised because hotels have had a gutful of glassing attacks and want to send a message to patrons," the lawyer said.
The glass thrower in the Chalk Hotel incident is facing criminal charges.
Amid growing concern over the frequency of glassings, the Queensland Government has issued show-cause notices to a number of pubs and clubs asking them to explain why they should not be forced to replace stubbies, cans and glasses with plastic cups.
A parliamentary inquiry is also examining whether earlier closing hours for pubs and clubs would reduce violence.
The police union has recommended a 2am closing time for nightclubs and midnight for suburban pubs.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Nunzio La Bianca Banned, The Rock Closed
THE WA Liquor Commission has issued the state's first ever prohibition order, banning nightclub operator Nunzio La Bianca from being employeed at a licensed premises for five years.
Additionally the commission has also cancelled the licence for Mr La Bianca's Northbridge nightclub, The Rock, formerly The Bog.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
The Big Day Out Perth 2009
Gemma Thoms died in hospital last night after passing out during the Big Day Out 2009 music festival yesterday.
Witnesses said Gemma took 3 ecstasy tablets before entering the festival's gates after she spotted police searching people for drugs. Not long after she passed out in the 36 degree heat and was rushed to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, she did not regain concsiousness and was pronounced dead overnight.
Friends of 17-year-old Gemma Thoms, have poured out their grief on social networking site Facebook. The group set up to mourn the young apprentice hairdresser, it is named BDO 09 Tragedy - R.I.P Gemma Thoms
Witnesses said Gemma took 3 ecstasy tablets before entering the festival's gates after she spotted police searching people for drugs. Not long after she passed out in the 36 degree heat and was rushed to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, she did not regain concsiousness and was pronounced dead overnight.
Friends of 17-year-old Gemma Thoms, have poured out their grief on social networking site Facebook. The group set up to mourn the young apprentice hairdresser, it is named BDO 09 Tragedy - R.I.P Gemma Thoms
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