WEST Australians will be able to drink booze without ordering food at small and medium-sized restaurants, under sweeping red tape-cutting liquor law reforms by the McGowan Government.

Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said the changes, likely to be tabled in Parliament in the next fortnight, would make Perth a more desirable destination for tourists.

Reforms include:

GIVING restaurants with the capacity for 120 or fewer people the ability serve alcohol to customers without buying food.

restaurants with the capacity for 120 or fewer people the ability serve alcohol to customers without buying food. LOOPHOLES tightened to ensure children cannot get access to booze from on-demand delivery services.

tightened to ensure children cannot get access to booze from on-demand delivery services. REDUCE red tape and cost burden on venues by revising trading permits so they can compete with pop-up stalls.

red tape and cost burden on venues by revising trading permits so they can compete with pop-up stalls. A NEW public interest assessment category for liquor licence applications, which gives the Director of Liquor Licensing more discretion when making decisions by taking into account tourism and community benefits.

public interest assessment category for liquor licence applications, which gives the Director of Liquor Licensing more discretion when making decisions by taking into account tourism and community benefits. ACCREDITED tour operators allowed to sell and supply alcohol, such as a glass of champagne.

Mr Papalia said he wanted Perth to be “the Asian gateway to Australia”.

“These reforms will boost the vibrancy of Perth and the rest of the State to enable the tourism sector to realise its potential,” he said.

“I think we have an opportunity to present just as an attractive suite of hospitality and entertainment venues as Melbourne does.

“Our hotels are significantly more affordable than Melbourne or Sydney. I would like Melbourne and Sydney people to come here, much the same way that we travel to those cities for a weekend.”

Mr Papalia said giving customers the opportunity to buy a drink, without having to buy a meal, was a significant reform.

“At the moment you can’t get alcohol without a meal in a restaurant of 120 people or fewer. We will be allowing that to happen,” he said.

“There are so many small restaurants and this will allow people after work on a Friday to drop in for a drink, rather than having to have a meal before they are allowed to have a drink.”

He said protecting established venues from pop-ups was also an important change, and clubs in Northbridge could stage events in their carparks.

“At the moment what happens often is that local governments allow operators who don’t own an established venue, who don’t remain in that location and pay rates and costs involved with employing people full-time to have a pop-up in the best time of the year, and right next to them, and basically cream off their profit,” he said.

“This will enable established venues to get a pop-up licence as part of their operations in land adjacent to them. If they have a carpark beside their pub, they might be able to establish a pop-up in the right time of the year to take advantage of that seasonal opportunity, which otherwise gets taken by someone else.”