Responsible Service

Responsible Service of Alcohol

ALH Group believes that individuals have the right to choose to consume alcohol in licensed venues as a form of social activity. As the operator of these venues, we have a responsibility to help minimise the risk of harm to individuals, our staff, other customers, and to the wider community.

As a large-scale operator of licensed venues, we have a responsibility to demonstrate best practice in terms of our service of alcohol and to set a positive example to our customers and to other licensees by complying with and, where appropriate, exceeding mandatory compliance regulations.

Responsible Service of Gaming

The ALH Group is committed to providing responsible gambling in our venues. Whilst gambling is enjoyed by the majority of people responsibly, ALH acknowledges that problem gambling is a serious community issue and that a small proportion of customers are harmed by their gambling activities.

Our goal is to ensure our hotels provide a safe and supportive environment where our customers make informed decisions about gambling and timely appropriate assistance and information is provided.

The Chairman of Woolworths, James Strong wrote to all 400,000 shareholders prior to this year’s Annual General Meeting and stated:

“The hotel business (ALH) is now a significant and growing part of our business. Woolworths fully accepts and appreciates the responsibility of being an operator of licensed liquor and gambling venues. We understand that for a small minority of people, liquor and gambling can have the potential to cause harm. However for the vast majority, these are enjoyed as recreational activities.

We also understand that our obligation to shareholders is to set appropriate governance standards for our business and manage potential risks to our company and our customers. The minimisation of these risks is a key priority for us as a hotel and liquor store operator, as it is for State and Federal Governments who determine the very rigorous and substantial regulations that govern these industries. While we are supportive of efforts to apply national consistency to the regulatory framework, our legal obligations in each State are very clear and we work hard to ensure that our venues operate to the highest standards”

Without doubt, issues surrounding gaming and alcohol will continue to be debated, irrespective of Woolworths’ involvement and will always invoke passionate opinion from certain interested parties. Woolworths has a reputation for its prudent and conservative approach. I can assure shareholders that our gambling and liquor operations, as with all our operations, are carefully managed and constantly monitored.”

ALH Group believes that the industry, government, community and individual have a shared responsibility for the promotion, development and practice of responsible gambling.

Our objective is for our gaming facilities to be enjoyed as a social recreation by responsible individuals who choose to use them.

ALH Group actively supports the promotion and encouragement of responsible gambling.

Advertising and promotions contained on ALH Group websites are not implicitly or explicitly directed at minors, excluded persons, or vulnerable or disadvantaged groups.