Day-to-day operations
- Day-to-day operations in airport passenger terminals have not changed
- NSW introduced targeted exemptions to NSW liquor laws to minimise disruptions at airports.
For details of these exemptions, see Liquor Amendment (Airports) Act 2025 and the Liquor Amendment (Airports) Regulation 2026
Compliance and enforcement
Who enforces the laws
Compliance with NSW liquor laws is jointly enforced by L&GNSW, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and NSW Police Force (NSWPF), depending on where your premises is located:
- Inside Sydney and Western Sydney International Airport passenger terminals, compliance is enforced by L&GNSW and the AFP
- Outside passenger terminals on federally leased land, compliance is enforced by L&GNSW and the NSWPF.
L&GNSW Inspectors, AFP or NSWPF Officers may visit your premises to check that you are meeting your obligations under NSW liquor laws.
If there is a breach
If a business operating in an airport passenger terminal breaches NSW liquor laws, the Secretary of the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport may change or remove targeted exemptions.
The Secretary can:
- Reduce trading hours
- Remove or limit exemptions allowing minors to enter licensed premises
- Remove or limit permission to sell liquor for consumption in food courts or other seating areas.
Your requirements and responsibilities
As a business that now holds an NSW liquor licence, you must meet all NSW liquor law requirements, including the following:
Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA)
- Licensees, managers and staff involved in selling or supplying liquor must hold a current RSA certificate.
Licensee Training (LT)
- All licensees and approved managers must complete Licensee Training (LT)
- If your business regularly operates between midnight and 5am, you must also complete Advanced Licensee Training (ALT)
- Licensees and approved managers whose businesses transitioned to the NSW system on 1 April 2026 must complete their required LT and ALT training by 1 August 2026.
Application and Annual Liquor Licence Fees (ALLF)
- Application fees do not apply to businesses transitioned to the NSW system
- ALLF apply to all NSW liquor licence holders
- The 2026 fee has been waived for businesses that transitioned to the NSW system
- Your first ALLF will be calculated on 15 March 2027
- Fees will then be calculated on 15 March each year, based on NSW Government records.
Signs for your business
NSW Government under 18s sign
All licensed premises must display NSW Government approved signage stating that alcohol cannot be sold or supplied to anyone under 18. If your business transitioned to the NSW system on 1 April 2026, you have until 1 August 2026 to display this sign.
Signage outlining where liquor can be consumed
If your business operates in an airport passenger terminal that sells alcohol for consumption:
- in a food court, or
- in a seating area associated with the premises,
you must display a sign that specifies where alcohol purchased from the business can be consumed.
It must be displayed where customers can easily read it, for example, at the point of sale near the cash register.
Sign options
You can choose to display a L&GNSW sign or create your own sign.
L&GNSW has created two signs for businesses in airport passenger terminals that sell alcohol for consumption in:
- a food court with seating shared by multiple premises
- a food court or a seating area associated with the premises.
You only need to display one sign that best matches your business.
Option 1
Use this sign if:
Option 2
Use this sign if:
To get the sign you can:
It is strongly recommended that your business displays a L&GNSW airport sign. This means you don’t need to worry about design, compliance and approvals.
If your business does not want to display a L&GNSW sign, you can design, print, and display your own sign. Before displaying it, you must ensure it is compliant with:
Note L&GNSW does not review or approve signs created by a business.
You will be responsible for seeking legal advice to ensure the sign is compliant. This may come at an additional cost to your business.
Legislative changes
NSW legislation
The NSW Parliament passed the Liquor Amendment (Airports) Act 2025. This law:
- Introduces a modified NSW liquor licensing framework for airports
- Largely keeps existing airport liquor operations in place
- Includes targeted exemptions to support a smooth transition.
Changes were also made to the Liquor Regulation 2018 to further support the transition, including introducing transitional arrangements for certain requirements.
Commonwealth legislation
The Commonwealth Government made the Airports (Control of On-Airport Activities) Regulations 2026, which replaces the Airports (Control of On-Airport Activities) Regulations 1997, the previous regulatory framework that applied to these airports.
Gaming machines
The operation of gaming machines is prohibited at these airports.
