Fundraising Liquor Licensing WA

February 1, 2016 in

Fundraising with Alcohol in WA

Updated: 7 January 2016

Whether you’re serving pinot noir as part of a sit-down dinner, or pouring pints after the footy, two things are certain – alcohol can be a pretty effective fundraiser, and you’ll probably need a license to sell it. We’ve summarised the basics.

A note of caution: this article is intended only as a general guide. While the information provided is correct, to the best of our knowledge, at the time of publication, we strongly advise anyone who is planning to sell alcohol to seek the advice of the regulating authority below.

Licensing Authority: Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor

Occasional Liquor Licence

The purpose of an occasional liquor licence is to allow the applicant to sell and supply liquor at a special event that cannot be covered under a permanent liquor licence. The sale of liquor must be ancillary to the purpose of the event (that is, it’s not the main purpose of the event). Occasional liquor licences cannot be used to operate a business in place of a permanent licence.

Small events MAY not need a licence. See: exemptions to licence.

Examples of an event where you’d need a licence include:

Where people buy alcohol directly from a bar at a venue that does not have a permanent liquor licence.
Where alcohol is served free at the event, but patrons bought tickets to attend.
A limousine where alcohol is provided, and passengers are charged for the hire of the limousine.

Conditions:

All events must have an approved manager. See the application guide for more details.
Children are only allowed in a licensed area if they’re supervised by their parent or legal guardian.
Applications need to be made online except if you’re planning a regional event for less than 500 people. These applications can be lodged in hard copy at the nearest courthouse.
There are fees for making an application.
Applications must be lodged in certain timeframes. The amount of time varies according to the size of the event. For example, for an event with less than 250 people, the application must be submitted 14 days before. A function with more than 10, 000 must apply 60 days ahead.

Please the links below, or the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor website for more details about conditions, the application process, timeframes, fees and FAQs.

Links:

Guide to Occasional Event Liquor Licence Applications

Graphic diagram for license application process

Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor website