THE KINGS CROSS HOTEL WINS COURT ACTION

The Solotel Hospitality Group recently won urgent legal proceedings in the NSW Supreme Court against the NSW liquor regulator, the Office of Liquor,Gaming & Racing (OLGR) over a matter of ‘secret data.’

The Solotel Hospitality Group owns and manages the Kings Cross Hotel, along with 17 other licensed establishments. The legal action asked the Court to order OLGR to disclose the raw material it has used to make its proposed decision to restrict the operating conditions of the Kings Cross Hotel.

OLGR has now been ordered to provide the information to the Kings Cross Hotel and after the information is provided, they have 7 days to respond.

Solotel had formally asked OLGR several times to release this information, which was described in court as ‘secret data.’ This information should have been released, among other reasons, in the interests of procedural fairness and informed public debate. OLGR has refused each time to release the information.

Andrew Gibbs, CEO of the Solotel Group, said after the court’s decision: “If OLGR’s decisions are to be based on facts, why wouldn’t they release this important information? We believe that regulatory decisions about the Kings Cross area should be based on all the available evidence, such as the fact that assaults in Kings Cross have dropped a dramatic 37% over the past years.

We also believe that not all licensed premises should be lumped in together and treated as a group, but should be treated on their own merits and track record. The ‘one size fits all solution’ is wrong. Using that supposed ‘solution’, is to punish the vast majority of patrons who are well behaved and who choose to enjoy themselves responsibly at the Kings Cross Hotel.”

The Solotel Hospitality Group has a proud record of leading the industry in the provision of a safe and responsible drinking environment. “In fact, we believe that the safest place to be for a night out in the Cross is in the Kings Cross Hotel, ” Gibbs said.