Liquor probe on Collingwood Magpies Football Club Michael Warner From: Herald Sun December 12, 2009 COLLINGWOOD'S right to own and operate pubs and pokies is under threat after a series of alleged breaches at its trendy bayside hotel.
Losing its liquor licence would leave the AFL's most famous club in a financial hole.
The Pies have almost 300 pokies at five gaming venues, where punters lost $17 million last year.
But its right to run licensed venues is threatened by alleged licence breaches at the Beach Hotel, which the Pies want to sell.
2Six separate noise offences have allegedly been committed since August, including a Grand Final day function heard by liquor licensing police more than 250m away.
The police bid for a VCAT inquiry could see Pies president Eddie McGuire and board members banned from operating licensed venues.
It is the second time the Albert Park venue has been taken to VCAT this year.
Police have previously alleged that customers at the Beach Hotel have engaged in fighting and violence, and urinated and vomited in front yards of nearby homes, nature strips and doorways.
A VCAT hearing is scheduled for March when the tribunal could be asked to determine whether the Collingwood board should be disqualified from holding a licence under Section 92 of the Liquor Licensing Act.
Magpie chiefs played down the case.
They claimed a deal had been struck with police that would prevent the matter proceeding to VCAT.
But a police spokeswoman said the application was still active.
The legal action is being led by Insp Lisa Hardeman, who said in her initial application to VCAT that she considered the licensee (Collingwood) was "not a suitable person to hold the licence".
An industry insider said a Section 92 was the most serious course of action taken by police to address unruly venues.
Magpie board members include CEO Gary Pert, Visy chief Alex Waislitz, Spotless boss Ian McMullin, insolvency expert Mark Korda, Starcom CEO Paul Leeds and newcomer Alisa Camplin.
The club's Lexus Centre headquarters, where alcohol is served after MCG matches, could also be affected by a potential ban.
The legal action also threatens to jeopardise Collingwood's attempts to sell the Beach Hotel.
The club has been trying to offload the business but a deal struck three months ago is yet to be approved by the building's freehold owner.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/liquor-probe-on-collingwood-magpies-football-club/story-e6frf9jf-1225811908184
