“TAKE A BREAK” REINFORCES INDUSTRY COMMITMENT

From the President

DAVID BASHEER

Gambling Harm Action Week has just passed and the AHA|SA and our members once again demonstrated why we lead the industry in being part of the solution.

We have partnered with Consumer and Business Services Minister, Andrea Michaels and Human Services Minister, Nat Cook, in a new nation-leading gaming harm minimisation initiative, Take a Break.

As you will read in this issue, the Take a Break program is being trialled in 31 venues during November and allows at-risk players to more easily ban themselves.

It is one of many self-regulation programs initiated by the AHA|SA as part of our commitment to social responsibility. If you would like to understand these in more detail, my recent column takes an in-depth look at this very issue.

But in all the emotion surrounding gambling, the work AHA|SA members and other bricks-andmortar operators are undertaking in harm minimisation is too often lost.

Calls by the anti-gambling industry for ever-more stringent regulations solely aimed at pubs and clubs wilfully ignores what is happening in the unregulated on-line world. (I can only presume that a considerable body of research is being undertaken into this hidden problem.)

We encourage Government to continue to work collaboratively with those who are paying the taxes, providing the jobs and most critically, have a history in demonstrating a genuine commitment to harm minimisation.

84 – AND GETTING WORSE

In a recent KPMG survey of Australian business leaders, 41% listed dealing with evolving regulatory processes and reporting changes amongst the five top issues keeping them up at night.

Don’t our members know it.

When governments come into office, they all talk about reducing red tape, then proceed to increase it.

Layer upon layer.

We never see evidence of Government departments talking to each other to avoid duplication, nor over onerous red tape additions.

And we can be absolutely certain the three tiers of Government never communicate with each other.

A quick scan of all our red tape obligations revealed we have 25 different obligations to meet in liquor, 4 more in the live music world, 20 in gaming, 19 in our kitchens, and another 16 red tape obligations in HR/IR.

That’s 84 pieces of red tape.

And now we learn of new legislation being brewed up at the federal level to introduce green tape regulations.

All the while, members have the onerous task of keeping the cogs of their business running in the face of massive cost increases, including energy, insurance and the insidious alcohol excise.

There is a chance they may innocently miss a few things.

A chef ringing in sick on a Tuesday morning can derail a planned day of compliance checking.

So, here is our request to those legislators and regulators who thinks one more bit of red tape won’t be a problem.

Consider what the humble publican and their family must deal with before they even consider tapping a keg and opening their doors.

Consider that our small and family businesses don’t have HR departments. And please understand that they do not have full-time compliance officers.

We need spear carriers for small business. Champions who will ensure, at the very least, that government departments talk to each other - and other tiers of Government - to minimise onerous and duplicated regulations.

Congratulations

October was a busy month for the AHA|SA team. We held our inaugural HR conference, which was well attended by members and their senior staff.

The feedback on the day and the speakers were excellent and I recommend you read the story in this issue.

Full credit to Owen Webb, Sarah Legoe and all involved on this fantastic initiative. We look forward to building on the programme next year.

Our annual Awards for Excellence at a sold-out Entertainment Centre in the presence of the Premier and Opposition Leader again portrayed our great industry in the best possible light.

It was a night where the AHA|SA family came together to celebrate the extraordinary success of the South Australian hotel industry and the achievements of our fabulous venues.

A night where we recognised our State’s best hotels that are leading the way in innovation, in inspiration and in design.

So many of our hotel staff filled the room. The dedication, energy and excellence of the 26,250 employees who work alongside our entrepreneurial members, place us to be at the heart of all things tourism.

We are at the heart of LIV Golf, the heart of Gather Round, the heart of that 3000 person international conference.

Full credit to Lucy Randall, who celebrated her 20th year running these awards, and the AHA|SA team on a great event.

My heartfelt congratulations to all category winners. They will now go on to represent South Australia at our national awards in Brisbane later this month.

Particular congratulations to The Arkaba Hotel which was awarded the coveted Best Overall Metropolitan Hotel and to both the McLaren Vale Hotel and Mt Lofty House who - in a rare feat - won back-to-back awards for Best Country Hotel and Best Accommodation Hotel respectfully.