Applying For A Limited Liquor Licence

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Applying For A Limited Liquor Licence Via The
Internet
One of the key objectives of Liquor Licensing
Victoria (LLV) is to provide our clients with
best practice customer-service in all liquor
licensing matters. Brian Kearney, Director Of
Liquor Licensing
Russell Conway Manager Multimedia
Communications Liquor Licensing Victoria - 9655
6966
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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Topics Covered

• Who We Are
• What is a Limited Licence
• Why Automate The Limited Licence Application
• Technical Specifications
• Transaction Flow Chart
• Comparison of Manual vs On-Line Process
• Popup Browser
• Internet Pages - Actual Transaction
• Project Schedule
• Other Relevant Items
• Lessons
• Benefits / The Future

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Who We Are

• Located on 24th Floor, 80 Collins Street (Nauru
  House)

• Liquor Licensing Victoria (LLV) licences all
  premises
• engaged in the sale of liquor in Victoria.

• There are currently 12 types of liquor licence
  in Victoria
• eg.General (Hotels), On-Premises
  (Restaurants) etc...

• Applications, Licences and Registry Management
• (A.L.A.R.M.) System manages a database of
  over 12,000
• Victorian Licences and Permits

• A.L.A.R.M is developed in a Universe environment
  and
• runs under Suns Solaris Unix

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
What Is A Limited Licence
A Limited Liquor Licence is a one-off or short
term licence allowing the sale of liquor at a
specified location, between specific hours and
incorporating specific conditions. (eg new years
eve functions)
Reasons For Using Limited Licences For The LLV
Transaction

• Simple application with basic information to be
  provided by client

• No signature requirement for electronically
  lodged applications

• Majority may be granted without referral to
  Victoria Police

• Fixed application fee

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Technical Specifications
Communications

• 64K ISDN Line between NEC, DSD and Allegiance
• Network Access (Fujitsu/Allegiance)
• FTP/Telnet Services Loaded on NT Server
• Firewall Access (DSD Specific)

Hardware

• Pentium Server, NT4, 128-256Mb RAM, 9GB HDD, 2
  NICS to
• segment networks for security.
• Ethernet Hub (4 port optional)
• Internal DAT Backup Drive

Software

• NT4
• MS Transaction Server
• MS Access 97
• MS Visual Basic 5
• FTP/Telnet
• Universe

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Manual Process

• Application completed lodged by mail or in
  person
• Application details manually entered into
  ALARM by LLV staff
• Payment manually processed by counter staff
• Function dates and times manually entered by
  LLV staff
• Application granted and mailed to client
• Duplication of data entry by LLV staff

Vs

• Application lodged by client via the internet
  (Keying by client)
• Application details and payment electronically
  transferred to
• LLV A.L.A.R.M. system (Reduces manual
  handling)
• Application granted and mailed to client
• Reduction in duplication of data entry by LLV
  staff
• Cost Time Savings - Some refinements needed to
  process
• Positive Staff Feedback - Client Surveys To Be
  Completed

On-Line Process
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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Popup Browser

• MAXI application allowing the agency
• to access the MAXI transaction directly
• from the agencys home page or from an
• icon on the site of a business partner
• Benefits
• Removes requirement to access the
• MAXI website
• Reduces the number of pages navigated
• by clients prior to accessing the actual
• transaction. MAXI website nearly
• doubles the number of pages required to
• complete the transaction

www.liquor.vic.gov.au
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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Project Schedule

• Internet Screen Specifications - 4 weeks
  (Simpsion Bowles )
• Internet Screen Construction - 8 Weeks (MAXI)

• A.L.A.R.M Limited Licence Module Specifications
  - 3 weeks
• In-House Application - 8 weeks (Contractor)

• AIO Specifications, Programming and testing - 4
  weeks (MAXI)

• ISDN Setup - 3 weeks for Telstra to schedule
  job.
• Server/Network Setup - 3 weeks (MAXI - Fujitsu)

• LLV transaction took approximately 31/2 months
  in actual time
• but 12 months in elapsed time due to
  legislative problems and
• political issues.

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Other Issues
Banking Options

• Westpac is the only choice with MAXI

Encryption

• 40 and 128 Bit Encryption options.
• Safepath (128 Bit) may not operate behind
  corporate firewalls.

AIO

• Agency Interaction Object
• Heart of the process
• Linkage between MAXI and the Agency host
  application
• VB 5, Delphi, C

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Lessons

• Ensure that your legislation caters for
  electronic transactions (political issues)
• Changes to specifications (even minor) can be
  very costly (Aspect/NEC)
• Obtain fixed prices for tasks where possible.
• AIO creation can be complex especially if you
  intend to perform any validation
• MAXI provide a toolkit for AIO - this is very
  generic and can require major
• modifications depending on your transaction
• Screen design should be simple with all field
  validation (Y2000 dates) completed
• at the AIO level. Saves time and speeds
  transaction if user enters incorrect
• information (eg, time and date format
  issues)
• Testing of application components can be
  difficult due to number of groups
• involved ie Users, MAXI, Aspect, Telstra,
  Fujitsu, Contractors
• Do Not provide a cheque payment facility
• Cannot speed Telstra - 3 weeks minimum to
  install ISDN line
• Co-ordination of different groups can also be
  difficult - Develop project schedule
• Obtain full sign-offs from all parties,
  especially users before continuing
• Develop a plan for post implementation
  maintenance of the system

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
Benefits

• Reduction in manual handling and processing of
  applications by
• LLV staff
• Improvement in service delivery to regional
  clients - reduction in
• travel requirements for clients
• More timely for client (7/24 uptime)
• Another avenue by which LLV clients can do
  business with LLV
• Client could effectively receive a liquor
  licence one hour after
• payment over the internet
• Funds are electronically deposited to LLV
  account. Reduction in
• Counter and Finance Section tasks.

Future

• Automate all applications currently processed by
  LLV - Will require
• legislative and procedural changes to our
  current legislation.

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Limited Liquor Licences Via The Internet
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