Camfield green light but Yagan Square’s Shoe Bar gets boot for Good Friday drinks

A Perth bar within 15 minutes of Optus Stadium has had its application to sell alcohol without a meal on Good Friday knocked back.

This is despite approval being given to Optus Stadium and its neighbouring pub, The Camfield.

“It’s disappointing because all we want is to be treated equally,” said Paul Higgins, owner of The Shoe Bar in Yagan Square, pictured.

“When we were originally knocked back, I wasn’t that disappointed because I thought it was a blanket ban.

“But to now read in The West Australian that The Camfield has been given exactly the type of licence we wanted, that is disappointing,” Mr Higgins said.

About 20 venues have applied to sell alcohol on Good Friday.

It is understood a licence has also been issued for the horse racing meeting at Ascot.

“Each application is considered on its merits and where the Director of Liquor Licensing considers (it) to be in the public interest, the application will be approved with appropriate conditions applied,” a spokesperson said.

The Camfield has been granted a special occasional licence to coincide with the AFL Good Friday match. It will apply from 3pm to 11pm.

But it prompted Australian Hotels Association (WA) chief executive Bradley Woods to call for all venues that want to trade as normal on Good Friday to be allowed to do so.

“The restriction of serving alcohol only where it is ancillary to a meal is archaic,” he said. “It doesn’t cater for interstate and international visitors, let alone local patrons.

“With other States such as South Australia recently reforming their trading restrictions to allow normal trading on Good Friday, it is time for WA to do the same.”

A McGowan Government spokesperson said the director had made a sensible decision to allow Optus Stadium and The Camfield to serve liquor throughout the AFL match.

“We will see how this goes before considering any amendments to the Act,” she said.