The policy-research interface: an insider's view

This paper is a summary of some illuminating comments made by the author when invited to discuss some of the above papers in the area of liquor licensing and availability. Prior to his appointment as the Director and Government Printer of State Print in South Australia, the author had been the first Director of Liquor Licensing in Western Australia. In that capacity he was responsible for undertaking a major review of the Liquor Act in Western Australia and in implementing a new administrative structure. He was subsequently appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Western Australian Totalisator Agency Board (which is responsible for off-course betting on horse and greyhound racing) before returning to South Australia. The author's experience of reviewing liquor licensing legislation in both South Australia and Western Australia, and his administration of a licensing authority provides him, in the Editors' view, with unique insights into the working of governments and the formulation of policy in this area. His paper is presented here in the form in which it was given at the conference.