Dogs at the bar: Pooch-owning pub goers offered election treat

Patrons will be allowed to take their dogs for a drink at the pub at the discretion of venue owners, and hospitality venues will automatically receive the right to extend their opening hours until 3am under a new election promise from the state government.

Premier Ben Carroll on Thursday unveiled a suite of hospitality reforms which he said were commonsense changes to outdated rules that would increase patronage and jobs, and boost the nighttime economy.

Under existing rules, pubs are required to make applications to trade past 1am, but Labor has promised to legislate an automatic right for venues to operate until 3am.

The government also pledged to amend a 1984 law which bans dogs from inside pubs, and give the decision-making power solely to the publicans.

“We do need to move with the times,” Carroll said at Richmond pub London Tavern on Thursday. He said the changes would “lead to more patrons coming in and more beers being poured”.

Earlier this year, City of Yarra council officers ordered The Rose Hotel in Fitzroy to immediately ban dogs from the premises after they were tipped off that the venue allowed pets inside. Dogs had been a mainstay at the pub, but general manager Neil Spark was forced to ban patrons from bringing their pets after the council enforcement.

He started a petition to change the law, which has attracted almost 25,000 signatures. Spark said that since then, he had been dogged by patrons who wanted to know when their pets would be allowed back inside.

On Thursday, Spark told this masthead he was pleased Labor had pledged to amend the law and allow dogs back inside.

“It’s creating that social connection and also making money for the pub,” he said.

Liquor Regulation Minister Enver Erdogan said lifting the ban on dogs would give publicans additional freedom to manage their business.

“They set the menu, they set the food, the music. They know their customer base,” Erdogan said. “Some venues might not want to change existing settings, and that’s understandable.”

Victoria Police regional operations deputy commissioner Bob Hill said that while he would have once been concerned that the plan for extended trading hours would have led to an increase in alcohol-fuelled violence, he was less concerned now as drinking trends changed.

“If we can bring people into the city to our entertainment venues to enjoy themselves, I say that’s a positive thing,” he told reporters. “I don’t see a real lot of concern with the 3am closure because the alcohol-fuelled violence that we might have seen a decade ago is not playing out because people aren’t consuming the level of alcohol they might have in the past.”

Labor also pledged, if re-elected in November, to shorten the wait times for liquor licenses from 11 weeks to six weeks.

Nic Sandery, owner of Collingwood’s Molly Rose Brewery, said the reduced wait time would make a significant difference for small businesses with slim margins.

“That’s a real win for anyone starting up a business for small business. Waiting 11 weeks while you’re trying to pay rent is a huge impact,” he said.

Sandery said small hospitality businesses were struggling as the increased cost of living caused patrons to tighten their purse strings.

“It’s no surprise to anyone that people are spending less when they go out,” he said.

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