PHOTO: Coonamble Bowling Club Manager Natalie Thurston and staff member Aiden Lee.
A local club manager has welcomed an announcement from the NSW government promising to scrap a rule preventing people living within five kilometres of a club from signing in without becoming a member.
Coonamble Bowling Club manager Natalie Thurston said the rule has cost business.
“We’ve had people that got to come in, have been told they can’t sign as a visitor because they live within town, and they’ll just walk straight out the door,” Ms Thurston said.
“We can get fined for every person that comes in without doing it.”
The government will introduce the change to Parliament next month.
Under current legislation, non-members living within the five kilometres must otherwise be the guest of an existing member or demonstrate membership of a similar club elsewhere.
After the five-kilometre rule is removed from legislation, the club will still need to change its constitution, which currently requires membership for residents living within 35 kilometres of it.
Clubs will still be able to attract new sign ups with member-only incentives including access to facilities like gyms and swimming pools.
The change will be a relief for Aiden Lee, who has received hostile reactions at the door when he asks them to sign up.
“It’s usually like ‘are you serious?'” he said.
“Some people think it’s a house rule.”
The change is part of the government’s ‘Vibrancy Reforms’ aimed at boosting the state’s night time economy.
That has included an 80 per cent reduction on liquor licence fees for licensed venues offering live music and performance.
While she welcomed the announcement, Ms Thurston said some people confuse it to mean a complete removal of the sign-in rule.
“People that reside in town will be allowed to sign in as a visitor, but they still must actually sign in,” Ms Thurston said.
“There will have to be education on it.”
ClubsNSW CEO Rebecca Riant said the change will be a “fantastic” outcome for the industry.
“It’s about providing clubs with the choice, and for many clubs — particularly golf and sailing clubs who have social membership caps — this will make a huge difference,” Ms Riant said.