Premier Mark McGowan wants Perth to be the hipster capital of Australia and hopes his new wave of liquor reforms will muscle in on Melbourne’s turf.

Mr McGowan, who spearheaded the 2006 relaxation of WA’s hospitality regulations paving the way for 118 small bars in Perth today, this morning previewed elements of a new liquor licensing reform Bill to hit Parliament next week.

Among the proposed reforms:

The chief executive officer of Tourism WA will get a say, with equal weight to Health and police authorities, on new liquor licensing applications;

A new category of tourism, community and cultural benefits is to be considered as part of applications;

Licensed restaurants with a capacity of 120 people or fewer will not have to apply for a separate permit to be able to serve alcohol without the purchase of a meal and

Outlets operating under a small bar or tavern licence can allow patrons who don’t finish a bottle of wine to cap it and take it with them.

Mr McGowan said the reforms, which he described as the most significant in a decade, was about further enlivening the hospitality scene to gradually bring about a “more European, sophisticated, discerning” drinking culture.

“We all know hipsters all want to go to Melbourne to have fun,” he said. “We want to ensure Perth competes on a level playing field with Melbourne and that’s what these reforms are doing to do.”

Mr McGowan said he was not concerned a further relaxation of drinking laws would increase alcohol-fuelled violence, saying smaller venues “attuned to people having a quiet drink” encouraged people to behave properly.

Martin Black, owner of The Sewing Room in Wolf Lane which has been open for four months, said it took more than two years to begin trading under the current “onerous requirements from both a planning and liquor license perspective”.

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“Any move that changes that … is to be commended, to make it easier for people to open a business that serves the tourism industry,” he said.

“We are one of those businesses that is trying to get hipsters to stay in town rather than go to Melbourne, as well as others who love live music.”

The proposed reforms have the support of the Tourism Council.

“For too long we have been forced to provide bad customer service, to turn our customers away, to not serve them at all or not serve them a drink at the end of a show because we haven’t had the balance right with our Liquor Control Act,” chief executive Evan Hall said.

Opposition Leader Mike Nahan gave broad support for the reforms, but criticised the Government for allowing full-strength beer to be sold at the weekend’s early morning UFC event at Perth Arena.

“We ban full-strength alcohol at our beautiful stadium, but allow it at 6.30am,” he said.

“That’s a bit odd. You could buy full-strength alcohol at the MMA function, but you couldn’t buy milk. We need full deregulation of shopping hours.”