OLGR Highlights Approved Manager Compliance

Are you up to date with your approved manager requirements?

OLGR reminds venues of their Approved Manager compliance responsibilities.

Of particular concern is some licensees have been identified as failing to have approved managers present or reasonably available as prescribed under Liquor Act 1992. They they have found venues with staff in the role of approved manager, without the approvals required for this role.

Given that OLGR has made specific mention of these concerns, now is a good time to review your venue’s practises and compliance in relation to approved managers. 

Following are a few questions that are often raised in assessing venue compliance for approved manager requirements.

When is a manager ‘reasonably available’?

An approved manager is typically deemed reasonably available if they can be contacted easily and can be present at the venue within 1 hour of contact. Although, in some cases, the Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming may approve a different timeframe.

In general, the requirement is that a manager or individual licensee be present or reasonably available during trading hours 10am to midnight. Additionally, this requirement extends to approved trading between 7am and 10am.

For approved trade from midnight to 5am, the standard requirement is that the approved manager be present, rather than just reasonably available.

There are exceptions to these requirements, for example: Community groups, craft beer producers with permits and ‘low-risk’ premises. Details of these approved manager compliance exceptions is outlined in Guideline 43 in the liquor guidelines section of the QLD Government website.

What is required to be an approved manager?

In Queensland, becoming an approved manager requires the following:

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Be over the age of 18 years

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Not an individual licensee

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Have a current Responsible Management of Licensed Venues (RMLV) Certificate.

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Apply to OLGR for an approved manager license

Upon approval, you will be issued with a photo identification card.

Approved manager licenses remain current for 5 years.

You can go to the government licensing website (ABLIS) for further details and links to apply for approved manager licensing.

What records are venues required to keep?

To be compliant, licensees are expected to have copies of each of their approved manager’s licensing details. These are required to be available for inspection at the main licensed premises.

For licensees and approved managers alike, is it good to keep track of the required renewal dates for both your licensing and RMLV certification, and ensuring current copies of these are on file. This way, maintaining and verifying compliance is far more efficient.

Need RMLV training for your approved managers?

With regular courses across Queensland, ITS can assist in keeping your venue compliant with your RMLV requirements. In addition to our scheduled courses, we can also arrange group training at your venue on request.

If you’re in current need to obtain or renew your certification, see our upcoming RMLV training courses.