Licensees and staff who must operate ID scanners

Your premises must operate a networked identification (ID) scanner if:

  • it is in a safe night precinct (SNP) and you're approved to trade past midnight on a permanent basis
  • your liquor licence is not exempt from ID scanning
  • a condition on your licence requires you to operate a networked ID scanner.

If you meet these conditions, the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR) will consider your premises to be a 'regulated premises for ID scanning'.

Exempt licensees

The following licensees are exempt from having to operate networked ID scanners (unless they're required to by a specific condition of their licence):

  • licensees who don't permanently trade past midnight in an SNP, including SNP licensees who have temporary late night trading permits
  • community club licensees
  • subsidiary on-premises (meals) licensees, for example, restaurants
  • commercial special facility licensees like casinos or convention centres
  • accommodation operators with subsidiary on-premises licences, for example, motels.

You can also apply to OLGR to have your premises, or part of it, exempted from ID scanning.

Read Liquor Guideline 59—declaration of licensed premises (or part of) as 'not regulated for ID scanning' to find out more.

Staff who can operate an ID scanner

Generally, only crowd controllers licensed under the Security Providers Act 1993 can operate networked ID scanners. However, there's an exception to this requirement.

You don't need to be a licensed crowd controller to operate a networked ID scanner if all of these conditions are met:

  • you're appropriately trained to operate the networked ID scanner
  • you're indirectly supervised by a licensed crowd controller at all times—you can't be left alone to operate the scanner; a licensed crowd controller needs to be near enough to be able to instruct you
  • you don't remove banned patrons—only a licensed crowd controller can remove banned patrons from (or around) the regulated premises
    and
  • you don't get involved in any physical interaction between a licensed crowd controller and a patron.

Read more about the security licence exemption for ID scanning.

Opting in to networked ID scanning

You can voluntarily opt in to use networked ID scanning even if you're not required to.

To opt in, apply to OLGR for a licence condition declaring your premises to be a 'regulated premises for ID scanning'.

If you're approved, you'll need to meet the regulatory obligations for ID scanning.

Also consider...

  • Last reviewed: 4 Jan 2024
  • Last updated: 4 Jan 2024