Some licensees must keep a record of guests, members or residents that attend their venue. This may be due to your licence category or your business activities.
Types of registers
There are four types of registers that you might have to keep:
- A member’s register is used to record the members of your club or association.
- A guest register records the guests who attend a venue run by a club or association.
- A gaming visitors register records all guests who attend a venue with gaming machines.
- A residents register records all the guests at a hotel, motel or other accommodation venue.
Your requirement to keep a specific register is based on your licence category and business activities.
When you must keep a register
Clubs and associations that have one of the below licence categories must keep a register of their members and their guests:
- full club licence
- restricted club licence
- renewable limited licence with club conditions.
This is because these licence types only allow you to supply to your members.
If you have a venue operator’s licence (a gaming licence for gaming machines), you must keep a register of all the guests who attend the venue. They are called authorised gaming guests even if they do not use the gaming machines.
Hotels, motels and other business that provide accommodation that also have a general or on-premises licence (including late night versions) must keep a residents register.
Record keeping
You must have your register available at your venue. Our inspectors and Victoria Police might ask to see it, and you must comply with their request.
You can keep the register in any format you prefer. But the information must be clear and easy to read.
You can use an exercise book or more formal handwritten registers. You can also use electronic records such as spreadsheets and other programs. Keeping electronic records means you might be subject to extra state or federal privacy laws. Make sure you understand your privacy obligations.
You can ask for ID to check the age and details of any person at your venue. But you are not required to keep a copy of their ID as part of the register.
There is no minimum amount of time you must keep the records. We recommend that you keep them for up to 12 months from the start date of the register. But you might need to keep these documents if requested by law enforcement or as part of legal proceedings.
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