Hillarys nightclub owner behind red shoe ban barred for two years

The owner of a northern suburbs night spot that famously barred patrons from entering while wearing red shoes has now himself been banned from being the manager of the venue for two years after a series of license breaches.

Malcolm Joseph Pages, the owner Bar1 in Hillarys, has been fined $10,000 while the company he is the sole director of, Autingo Pty Ltd, has also copped a $12,000 fine for overcrowding, security mismanagement and a violent incident at the venue.

Pages has also been banned from being an approved manager of the venue for two years following the decision from the State Administrative Tribunal.

The issues involve breaches of the Liquor Control Act 1988 and include the venue exceeding its approved capacity, not having enough security staff on duty, and failing to keep a register of prescribed incidents accurate and up to date.

According to court documents, there were 86 incidents not properly recorded or not recorded at all between November 2023 and January 2024.

There were also several recorded instances of the venue exceeding its capacity of 360 patrons, with one occasion where the club was recorded as containing more than 600 people, while there were 15 times crowd controllers were not wearing high visibility clothing as required by the licence condition.

Pages was also involved in an altercation involving himself, security staff and a group of female patrons.

During the incident, the tribunal heard that Pages kicked and punched a female patron, causing her to fall to the ground.

A patron of the club was convicted of assault occasioning bodily harm with respect to striking the crowd controller with a bottle during the incident, while Pages was acquitted of a charge of disorderly conduct.

Director of Liquor Licensing Lanie Chopping said managers of licensed venues are entrusted to act in the best interests of their patrons and uphold the highest standards of integrity and accountability.

“Where serious breaches of their licence are identified, the Director of Liquor Licensing will take disciplinary action to protect the health, safety and welfare of patrons and staff to maintain confidence of those who attend licensed venues in WA,” she said.

“Overcrowding at licensed venues is a serious concern and poses a dangerous risk to patrons and staff who may need to evacuate the premises quickly in the event of an emergency.

“It also increases the likelihood of aggression and violence and reduces the ability of staff to monitor patrons to ensure the responsible service of alcohol.”

Chopping added that capacity limits were set to ensure that the venues could be managed safely, and breaches can result in fines and bans such as in the Bar1 case, or the loss of a trading licence.

“These breaches can be easily detected by reviewing the venue’s CCTV security cameras at entry and exit points,” she said.

While Bar1 closed in May this year, the site has reopened as Portal Nightclub under the same licence held by Autingo. The SAT conditions will apply to the newly named premises.

The venue made national news after the club enforced a blanket ban on red shoes in 2023 after claiming the footwear was allegedly a red flag for bad behaviour among a culture group called eshays.