“Beer barons’ booze keeps flowing thanks to loophole”, reports the Sydney Morning Herald, June 2nd, 2011, and goes on to describe uncovering an enormous liquor scam. Do you know if you ring the right number late at night you can get delivery of alcohol?
We learn from Asher Moses; “Business was heaviest after midnight, when takeaway alcohol shops are forced by law to close. “On an average Saturday night we would do anywhere from 15 to 30 deliveries … all small quantities, one item per delivery,” {a businessman} Mr Clarke said.”
So there we have it, a couple of dozen people getting a home delivery, paying way above the market prices, becomes for Mr Asher a seriously big offence.
The story manages to weave in; ‘… blind eye to sly grog salesmen, … unlicensed 24-hour booze delivery,… exploiting known loopholes’, and then congratulating itself on a great piece of investigative reporting; ‘… it is only today, following queries from this website, that authorities have decided to conduct a review’.
Yet as explained the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR) knew of this business and, “I have accepted the Inspector’s recommendation to not investigate this matter further and accordingly OLGR considers this matter finalised,” OLGR’s director of compliance, Albert Gardner, said”.
The States all have departments that supervise liquor staffed by people who know what they are doing and nothing escapes their attention. I believe they do a good job in policing a product which is currently causing a lot of concern. So when they show simple initiatives, such as letting this trader fill a niche, a major paper decides it can cry scandal, instead of doing the opposite. Why do we still treat liquor as if it is a prohibited substance? Sydney is a 24 hour city and while this businessman is operating in a grey area what possible harm can these deliveries do. I trust he does well. I cannot be so generous with Mr. Moses who is the worse type of wowser.
