Liquor Commission

The Northern Territory Liquor Commission is an independent statutory authority established on 28 February 2018 under the Liquor Commission Act 2018.

The Liquor Commission has extensive powers under the Liquor Act 2019 to regulate liquor licensing in the Northern Territory and is the primary decision-maker for liquor licence applications and the determination of complaints.

The Department of the Attorney-General provides secretarial and administrative services that the Liquor Commission requires to perform its functions.

Licensing NT, Department of Tourism and Hospitality supports the Liquor Commission by processing liquor applications, investigating complaints, monitoring licensed venues and events, enforcing liquor laws and referring matters to the Liquor Commission for determination.

If you have any questions about liquor licensing in the Northern Territory (including applications or complaints about licensed venues), please contact Licensing NT at liquor.commission@nt.gov.au.

Functions and responsibilities

The Liquor Commission has extensive powers under the Liquor Act 2019 to regulate liquor licensing in the Northern Territory and is the primary decision-maker for liquor licence applications and the determination of complaints.

The Liquor Commission’s powers also include:

• Establish Codes of Practice for liquor licensees (section 20 of the Liquor Act 2019).
• Undertake inquiries on its own initiative to vary licence conditions variations (section 113 of the Liquor Act 2019).
• Review a decision of the Director of Liquor Licensing (section 29(2) of the Liquor Commission Act 2018).
• Determine whether an area should be declared a general restricted area (GRA) (section 172 of the Liquor Act 2019).

The Liquor Commission has delegated the power to determine various non-contentious matters to the Director of Liquor Licensing.