With the Victorian State Election due in November, pubs have opportunity to examine what each party is offering the hospitality sector.
The incumbent Labor Government has continued to position itself as a major supporter of arts, culture and the night-time economy.
While its long-term arts strategy has attracted criticism from some organisations following recent funding reductions, pubs have benefited from several practical reforms.
These include simplifying liquor licensing, reducing planning and regulatory red tape, making outdoor dining arrangements permanent, streamlining approvals for new venues, investing in live music through grants and regulatory changes, and providing broader small business support such as payroll tax relief.
Despite these initiatives, rising operating costs and softer consumer spending continue to put significant pressure on many venues.
The Liberal-Nationals are yet to release a detailed arts or hospitality policy. Their public commentary has focused more on governance and accountability within the arts sector rather than expanding investment, leaving questions about what additional support, if any, would be specifically offered to pubs, live music venues and the broader hospitality industry.
The Greens continue to advocate for increased public investment in arts and culture, including expanded support for live music, community participation and arts organisations, although they have not outlined a pub-specific policy.
A party taking a distinctly different approach is the Victorian Socialists. Their arts and culture policy explicitly recognises pubs as important community “third places” and proposes supporting them as venues for live music, social sport and community activities.
The policy includes using incentives and tax settings to reduce reliance on poker machine and alcohol revenue, encouraging venues to diversify through entertainment, affordable meals and community events.
It also proposes guaranteeing every community access to a pub, including, where necessary, through state ownership.
Speaking with PubTIC, the Victorian Socialists said their policy is intended to make it more profitable for pubs to operate live music, community activities and affordable dining than to rely heavily on alcohol or gaming.
While the party has not yet released a fully costed funding model, it said it expects direct financial support would be available where required to help venues transition. Importantly, the party says individual pub operators would retain the choice of how to respond, with tax incentives designed to reward diversification rather than mandate it.
Candidate for Northern Metro upper house, Omar Hassan, pointed out that local pubs have long served as accessible community hubs, offering a place to socialise, eat and enjoy entertainment at a reasonable cost.
“Our policy is about making live music, cheap food and community events better for pubs than pokies,” said Hassan.
“We want to make sure that every community, especially in the regions, has a pub.
“We know that community ‘third places’, where you can be with your friends and stay warm in winter and cool in summer without paying for the privilege, are disappearing and we want to fix that.”
The party plans to measure success of the endeavour by the growth in pub visitors and by the growth in revenue from bar and food sales as well as entertainer income, along with a reduction in EGM revenue.
Of course, a party’s position on pubs, hospitality, arts and community spaces is only one factor among many that voters will consider when casting their ballot.
However, for pub operators and those working across hospitality, understanding how each party views the role of pubs in their communities, along with the practical support they propose for venues, provides another useful lens when assessing which policies may shape the future of the industry.
