The company that operated restaurant Mad Down Under Bar and Grill, North Ryde has been fined $6,000 in the Downing Centre Local Court for selling alcohol illegally following a Liquor & Gaming NSW investigation.
Punia & Sehgal Pty Ltd pleaded guilty to two offences of selling alcohol without a licence following two covert compliance operations that saw 98 bottles of liquor and two kegs of beer seized from the venue.
On sentence, the company was convicted and fined $3,000 for each offence.
The venue applied to Liquor & Gaming NSW for a liquor licence in November 2023, but the application was still awaiting approval when the offences occurred.
Liquor & Gaming NSW officers and NSW Police had issued previous warnings, but the venue continued to sell alcohol without a liquor licence.
The Court found that the defendant was aware of the requirement to be licensed to sell liquor, but did so regardless.
It also found that the general display of liquor at the venue indicated that the two instances of sales to Liquor & Gaming NSW inspectors were probably not isolated.
The company directors told the Court that the company felt pressured to sell alcohol on the first occasion because the North Ryde and other Mad Down Under venues were struggling.
The North Ryde venue and two other Mad Down Under venues in Sydney have since closed.
Liquor & Gaming NSW’s Executive Director Regulatory Operations and Enforcement, Jane Lin, said the fines were a warning to all venues that selling alcohol without a licence in NSW was a serious offence.
“Our inspectors conduct regular covert and overt compliance operations around the state, and anyone caught breaking the law faces fines of up to $11,000 per offence, one year’s jail, or both under the Liquor Act 2007,” Ms Lin said.
“The operators of unlicensed venues that sell alcohol may be unaware of the responsibilities that apply to the sale and supply of liquor under the Act.
“They may not apply the same controls as licensed premises, while their staff may not have Responsible Service of Alcohol training.
“This increases the risk of alcohol-related harms, including minors buying liquor, the supply of liquor to intoxicated persons, and anti-social behaviour.”
Any liquor held by a person found guilty of selling liquor without a licence may be subject to seizure and forfeiture.
