The Security licence exemption for ID scanning guideline was approved by the Office of Fair Trading in July 2017 to provide liquor licensees with greater flexibility when managing the ID scanning requirements, brought in under amendments to the Liquor Act 1992. The exemption allowed persons who were not licensed as a crowd controller under the Security Providers Act 1992 to operate the ID scanners, provided they were supervised directly by a crowd controller.
The guideline has been reviewed after 12 months of operation. As a result, the guideline has been amended to allow an ID scanner operator to be unlicensed on the condition they are supervised indirectly by a licensed crowd controller on duty on the licensed premises. Access the guideline here.
The exemption
A person scanning an ID will not need to be licensed as a crowd controller only if all of the following conditions are met:
A person scanning an ID will not need to be licensed as a crowd controller only if all of the following conditions are met:
- ID scanning is adopted either mandatorily or by election at the venue.
- The person is scanning a patron’s ID, as required by the Liquor Act 1992.
- The person scanning IDs is indirectly supervised while performing such duties at all times by a licensed crowd controller, who is employed on the licensed premises.
- If the ID scan identifies a banned patron, only a crowd controller may remove that person from on or around the premises.
- In any physical interaction between a licensed crowd controller and a patron, a person merely scanning a patron’s ID must avoid all involvement.
Importantly, nothing in the guideline reduces the general obligations of a licensee under the relevant legislation and accordingly, apart from the scanning of IDs, all other screening of the entry of persons deemed appropriate by the licensee, must properly be conducted by a crowd controller.
A practical example
When a patron wants to enter a venue, a host or hostess can perform the actual scanning of the patron’s ID into the ID scanner. A licensed crowd controller on duty at a licensed premises will directly or indirectly supervise the host or hostess operating the ID scanner.
As part of the indirect supervision, the crowd controller may separately and when deemed necessary from time to time, undertake any further checks on a patron in the entry screening process adopted by venue management, to ensure the patron conforms to the venue’s general admission criteria. For example, while their ID may scan without any issues, they may be excluded because they are unduly intoxicated, disruptive, or inappropriately attired or presented.
If the patron is banned or otherwise unsuitable to enter the premises, the licensed crowd controller will refuse entry in a firm, polite, non-confrontational and professional way and generally manage any direct interaction with patrons that the ID scanning staff are not trained or authorised to perform.
More information on the security licence exemption for ID scanning and legal requirements for the security industry is available on our website
