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Section 77 Liquor Act 2007
Refusing to Leave Licensed Premises

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Refusing to Leave a Licensed Premises is an offence under Section 77 of the Liquor Act 2007 which is punishable by a $550 on-the-spot fine or a maximum penalty of $5,500 if the case is dealt with in court.

To establish the offence, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that:

  1. You were validly refused admission to, or turned out of, a licensed premises
  2. The refusal was by an ‘authorised person’, and
  3. You remained on, or in the vicinity of, the premises, or attempted to re-enter the premises within 24 hours

You were validly refused admission to, or turned out of, a premises if:

  1. You were intoxicated, violent, quarrelsome or disorderly
  2. You were suspected of possessing or using a prohibited drug or plant on the premises
  3. You smoked in a smoke-free area on the premises
  4. Your presence would render the licensee liable to a penalty under the Act, or
  5. A condition of the licence otherwise required you to leave

An ‘authorised person’ is a licensee, employee or agent of a licensee, or police officer.

The ‘vicinity of the premises’ means within 50 metres of any boundary.

An authorised person may use a ‘reasonable degree of force’ to remove you.

He or she has discretion to exclude you beyond the 24 hour period.
A defence is that you had a ‘reasonable excuse’ for your conduct which is where:
  1. You reasonably feared for your safety if you were to leave the premises
  2. You needed to remain in or re-enter the premises to obtain transport, or
  3. You resided within the premises

The burden is on you to prove the reasonable excuse ‘on the balance of probabilities’.

Self-defence, duress and necessity are also defences.

For accurate advice and exceptional representation from lawyers who are experienced in representing liquor licence holders, applicants and defendants call Sydney Criminal Lawyers® today on (02) 9261 8881.

The Legislation

77 Non-voluntary exclusion of persons from licensed premises

(1) In this section:”authorised person” means a licensee, an employee or agent of a licensee or a police officer.”employee” includes, in the case of a registered club, a person engaged under a contract for services.”vicinity” of licensed premises means any place less than 50 metres from any point on the boundary of the premises.

(2) An authorised person may refuse to admit to, or may turn out of, licensed premises any person:
(a) who is at the time intoxicated, violent, quarrelsome or disorderly, or
(b) whose presence on the licensed premises renders the licensee liable to a penalty under this Act, or
(c) who smokes, within the meaning of the Smoke-free Environment Act 2000, while on any part of the licensed premises that is a smoke-free area within the meaning of that Act, or
(d) who uses, or has in his or her possession, while on the premises any substance that the authorised person suspects of being a prohibited plant or a prohibited drug, or
(e) whom the authorised person, under the conditions of the licence or according to a term (of the kind referred to in section 134 or 136D) of a liquor accord, is authorised or required to refuse access to the licensed premises.

(3) If, under subsection (2), a person has been refused admission to, or has been turned out of, licensed premises, an authorised person may, at any time, refuse to admit that person to the licensed premises or may turn the person out of the licensed premises.

(4) If a person in respect of whom an authorised person is, under subsection (2) or (3), entitled to refuse admission to the licensed premises is on the premises, the person must, on being required so to do by an authorised person, leave the premises. Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units.

(5) For the purposes of this section, such reasonable degree of force as may be necessary may be used to turn a person out of licensed premises.

(6) A person who has been refused admission to, or turned out of, licensed premises in accordance with this section because the person was intoxicated, violent, quarrelsome or disorderly, must not re-enter or attempt to re-enter the premises within 24 hours of being refused admission or being turned out. Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units.

(7) After the 24-hour period ends in relation to any such person, an authorised person is not prevented from exercising the powers under subsection (3) in relation to the person.

(8) A person who has been refused admission to, or turned out of, licensed premises in accordance with this section because the person was intoxicated, violent, quarrelsome or disorderly, must not, without reasonable excuse:
(a) remain in the vicinity of the premises, or
(b) re-enter the vicinity of the premises within 6 hours of being refused admission or being turned out.
Maximum penalty: 50 penalty units.

(9) Without limiting subsection (8), a person has a reasonable excuse for remaining in, or re-entering, the vicinity of the licensed premises if:
(a) the person reasonably fears for his or her safety if he or she does not remain in, or re-enter, the vicinity of the premises, or
(b) the person needs to remain in, or re-enter, the vicinity of the premises in order to obtain transport, or
(c) the person resides in the vicinity of the premises.

(10) In the prosecution for an offence under subsection (8), the burden of proving that a person had a reasonable excuse for remaining in, or re-entering, the vicinity of the licensed premises concerned is on the person charged.

(11) The functions that may be exercised under this section by an authorised person who is a licensee or employee or agent of a licensee may only be exercised in relation to the licensed premises to which the licensee’s licence relates.

(12) A reference in this section to turning a person out of licensed premises includes a reference to causing the person to be turned out.

(13) Nothing in this or any other section of this Act operates to limit any other right a person has to refuse to admit a person to, or to turn a person out of, licensed premises.

Why Choose Sydney Criminal Lawyers®?

Going to court can be nerve-racking, but having a strong and compassionate legal team behind you can make the experience significantly easier to deal with.

Here are 12 reasons to choose our multi-award winning legal team:

  1. Proven Track Record of Exceptional Results

    Sydney Criminal Lawyers® consistently achieves outcomes which are in the highest percentile of the Judicial Commission’s sentencing statistics for criminal cases.

    Our legal team devises effective case-strategies and fights hard to have cases dropped entirely or charges downgraded – saving clients the time, expense and stress of a defended hearing or jury trial.

    Where cases nevertheless proceed, our lawyers have an outstanding track record of winning defended Local Court hearings, and complex jury trials in the District and Supreme Courts.

    We also consistently win appeals in the District and Supreme Courts (including the NSWCCA) after clients have received unsatisfactory results with other law firms in the lower courts.We are one of the few firms to achieve successful criminal law appeals in the High Court of Australia.

    Where our clients wish to plead guilty, we frequently achieve ‘dismissals’ and ‘non convictions’ in cases where other lawyers have advised there is no chance of doing so.

  2. Highest Level of Client Satisfaction

    We have the best and most comprehensive client review record of any law firm in Australia.

    Regular communication, accessibility and quality service are our team’s highest priorities.

    We are committed to thoroughly explaining all steps involved in the criminal law process, providing regular updates throughout the proceedings, and making ourselves accessible and responsive.

    We are passionate about providing an exceptional level of service to our clients, and we fight hard to achieve optimal results in the shortest period of time.

  3. Australia’s Most Awarded Criminal Law Firm

    We have received more awards and accolades than any other criminal law firm in Australia. Our team has been awarded “Criminal Defence Firm of the Year in Australia” in a number of prestigious and competitive awards programs for several years running.

    The awards recognise our exceptional track record of results, our outstanding client service, the high level of satisfaction we achieve, the affordability of our services and our overall excellence.

  4. Fixed Fees

    We want our clients to know exactly how much their cases will cost from the very start. That’s why we were the first criminal law firm in Australia to publish ‘fixed fees’, back in 2004.

    We offer fixed fees for most types of criminal cases and services.Our fixed fees apply to a range of Local Court cases such as drink driving, drug possession, fraud, common assault and AVOs, and also specific services such as prison visits, bail applications, appeals and defended hearings.

    Unlike many other law firms, our fixed fees are published on our website – which ensures transparency and certainty.

  5. Free First Appointment

    For those who are going to court, we offer a free first conference of up to an hour with one of our Senior Criminal Defence Lawyers.

    We also offer a free first conference to those who have received an unsatisfactory result after being represented in court by another law firm, or after representing themselves, and wish to appeal.

  6. Specialist Lawyer Guarantee

    We guarantee that only lawyers with substantial criminal defence experience will work on your case and appear for you in court.

    This ensures our clients receive the highest quality representation from an experienced, specialist criminal lawyer.

  7. All NSW Courts

    From Bombala to Broken Hill, our lawyers appear in courts throughout New South Wales – and across Australia for Commonwealth cases.

    And we offer fixed fees for most criminal and traffic law cases throughout the state.

  8. Accredited Specialists

    Our entire firm is exclusively dedicated to criminal law – which makes us true specialists.

    All of our lawyers have years of experience representing clients in criminal cases, and our principal has been certified by the Law Society of NSW as an Accredited Criminal Law Specialist since 2005.

    An ‘Accredited Specialist’ is a lawyer who has practised for at least 5 years in a particular field of law (such as criminal law), has passed a rigorous assessment process conducted by the Law Society of NSW, and has been selected by the Specialist Accreditation Committee of the Law Society as an expert in the field.

    Accredited Specialists are required to undertake more training each year than other lawyers and must be successful in having their accreditation renewed every year. Specialist Accreditation is the mark of a true specialist.

    Our firm’s specialist experience ensures you receive the best possible result, whatever your criminal law case may be.

  9. Results-Focused Law Firm

    Our team is passionate about achieving results, and unlike many other law firms, our lawyers do not have monthly financial ‘budgets’ to meet.

    The absence of budgets means our lawyers are entirely focused on achieving optimal results in the shortest space of time; whether by getting charges dropped or downgraded at an early stage or having cases ‘thrown out of court’.

    Not having budgets also means our lawyers are not under pressure to engage in unscrupulous practices such as unnecessarily adjourning cases or ‘overcharging’ clients – which, sadly, is a common complaint against many other lawyers and law firms.

    No budgets encourages regular consultation between lawyers within the firm – promoting an ‘open door’, team environment where lawyers bounce ideas off one another, formulate case strategy together and benefit from each other’s specialised experience, methods, techniques and insights.

    The result is a firm which delivers optimal outcomes in the shortest time periods, at the least expense and stress to our clients.

  10. Team of Lawyers Behind You

    Our clients benefit from the pool of knowledge that only an extensive team of experienced criminal defence lawyers can provide.

    Our lawyers regularly consult one another to stay ‘ahead of the pack’ in the ever-changing field of criminal law – constantly devising, refining and implementing specialised techniques which ensure our clients achieve the best possible outcomes.

    A team approach is particularly important when it comes to serious criminal cases such as murder, commercial drug cases, serious and sexual assaults, large-scale fraud, robbery and other ‘indictable’ cases.

    In such matters, clients reap the benefits of several lawyers devising and executing case strategies which maximise the chances of having cases dropped or downgraded at an early stage, or ‘thrown out of court’ – often saving clients a great deal of cost, time and anxiety.

  11. Familiar with Magistrates and Judges

    Each of our lawyers appears in court on a daily basis, and has done so for years. We have therefore been able to develop an understanding of, and rapport with, magistrates and judges in Sydney and indeed across the state.

    Our team’s extensive experience before the courts ensures your case is tailored to the specific nuances of individual judicial officers, maximising the likelihood of a favourable result.

  12. Convenience

    We have offices in locations across the Sydney Metropolitan Area and beyond, including:

    We offer free parking at our Sydney CBD offices, and all of our offices are close to train stations and bus terminals.

    For those who are unable to attend our offices, we offer conferences by telephone, Skye and FaceTime anywhere around the world.

    If you are going to court and wish to arrange a free first consultation, call our 24 hour hotline on (02) 9261 8881 or send us an email at info@sydneycriminallawyers.com.au.

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