A Wagga pizza shop’s proposal to home deliver beer and wine has sparked fears it could expose drivers to a high level of risk.
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Wagga Local Area Command invited public comment on the concept to judge community expectations, ahead of a formal submission to Liquor and Gaming NSW.
Responses were mixed, with some welcoming the idea while others speculated about the potential pitfalls.
Former pizza delivery driver Nic, who asked for her surname to be withheld, said there were already a number of risks without adding alcohol into the mix.
“If a customer wants booze with their pizza and the delivery driver doesn’t feel comfortable doing so, or if they feel the customer has had enough and refuses to deliver alcohol with the pizza, then there is the potential there for the customer to get aggro and that puts the driver at risk,” she said.
“Also, with the amount of cash that a driver can sometimes have on them, there's also the potential for robberies too.
“Unless a driver has something recording what goes on with every delivery, or at least some sort of panic button, It would be hard to do… it’s just not worth the risk.”
Wagga licencing sergeant Nigel Turney said police would need to pick apart the liquor licence application and assess whether potential risks could be addressed.
“There are a number of issues that have been raised, in particular around driver safety, supplying to minors and whether a driver would stand up to someone who was intoxicated,” Sgt Turney said.
“We won’t make a decision until we’ve got all the relevant information… but the final say is down to the liquor and gaming authority.”
David Barnhill from the Wagga Liquor Accord said he was interested to see what happened.
“I’ve heard of it in Sydney and Melbourne before, but not Wagga,” Mr Barnhill said.
“As long as they’re happy to become accord members and abide by legislation, it’ll be interesting to see what happens.”