NSW regulator bans Bondi Beach licensee for two years

A two-year disqualification now bars former Bondi Beach licensee Alan Cunningham from holding a NSW liquor licence, after the state's Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority (ILGA) ruled he was not a fit and proper person to run a licensed venue.

The decision closes an investigation triggered by public complaints about the venue at 34 Bondi, where Cunningham held the licence. Insors from Liquor & Gaming NSW (L&GNSW), the state's gambling and alcohol regulator, reviewed venue footage from 2024, including the City2Surf fun run on 11 August. The recordings showed patrons displaying, in the regulator's words, clear signs of intoxication: stumbling, losing balance, requiring support from others and vomiting outside the premises.

What did the investigation find?

The probe identified repeated breaches of NSW liquor laws. The documented failures ran across five categories:

• Serving alcohol to intoxicated patrons
• Permitting intoxication on the premises
• Operating contrary to licence requirements
• Failing to comply with regulatory notices
• Allowing alcohol service by a staff member without a recognised RSA competency card (the Responsible Service of Alcohol qualification required for anyone selling liquor in NSW)

ILGA's ruling against Cunningham cited the repeated breaches, concerns about his integrity and a demonstrated unwillingness to comply with regulatory requirements. The two-year disqualification follows directly from that finding.

What does the regulator say changed?

L&GNSW Executive Director Regulatory Operations Dimitri Argeres framed the outcome as a compliance warning to the state's licensees.

"This disciplinary outcome follows a thorough Liquor & Gaming NSW investigation and sends a clear message that repeated breaches of liquor laws will not be tolerated," Argeres said.

He added that the duty runs to patrons first. "Licensed venues have a responsibility to put patron safety first. When a licensee fails to meet those obligations, Liquor & Gaming NSW will take appropriate action to protect the community."

Argeres also singled out the regulatory-notice issue, noting that licensees are expected to comply with formal notices and engage constructively with investigations. His verdict on those who do not was blunt. "A failure to do so raises serious concerns about their ability to meet the responsibilities that come with holding a liquor licence."

Why the case matters for operators

The Cunningham case is a template for how enforcement now starts: complaints from the public, followed by footage review rather than relying solely on in-person inspections. Event days amplify the risk. City2Surf, which draws tens of thousands of runners and spectators through Bondi each August, is precisely the trading period when service discipline is hardest to hold and regulators look hardest.

For operators, the exposure is personal, not merely corporate. ILGA's fit-and-proper test reached the licensee's conduct during the investigation itself, treating non-compliance with regulatory notices as evidence of unfitness. A venue's RSA regime — every server holding a current competency card — is a baseline the authority checked line by line.

The two-year ban removes Cunningham from licensed operations in NSW until 2027 at the earliest, and L&GNSW has signalled that similar complaints from the public will continue to open files at other venues.