Beloved Brisbane venue The Brightside was threatened with a $14,000 fine by government officials after offering jabbed patrons free beer in an effort to encourage locals to get vaccinated.
Last month, The Brightside announced their ‘Jab Club’ initiative. An event that would offer two hours of free beer to patrons that had been vaccinated.
In the days after the event was announced, the venue received a “stern” phone call from the Office of Liquor and Gaming threatening a hefty fine.
“We just wanted to throw two hours of free beer on and encourage people to get the jab,” owner Noah Honeywill told The Courier Mail. “We were told quite sternly that if we proceeded we were in breach of the liquor act and that we would be up for $14,000 in fines.”
The Queensland 1992 Liquor Act prohibits licensees from engaging in practices that may encourage the rapid or excessive intake of alcohol.
“It seems like our Premier is saying one thing pushing for vaccines, and then essentially her employees aren’t up for it,” he continued. “We explained that this is not about free beer, we don’t make any money from something like this, this is purely about pushing the narrative of vaccinations so we can open back up.”
Thankfully, after “productive talks” with the Office Of Liquor and Gaming, The Brightside were able to find a way to keep their Jab Club initiative rolling.
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“After productive talks with the Office Of Liquor and Gaming Regulation we are pleased to announce that our Jab Club event will run every Friday from 5pm -7pm in the Brightside Beer Garden,” The Brightside wrote in a Facebook post. The event will take place for 2 hours weekly.
“We are all for getting the show back on the road and supporting our industry in what has been a shocking last year and half and at this stage the best thing we can do is get the Jab,” the post continued.
“Entry will be for those that have received at least one jab and we will make available the ability to donate to Support Act which is a charity delivering crisis relief services to artists, crew and music workers during these unprecedented and hard times upon entry.”
