Queensland forced to defend new alcohol laws after prince refused entry

Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark. Photo / AAP file

The Queensland Government has been forced to defend its new alcohol laws after Danish Crown Prince Frederik was refused entry to a Brisbane bar.

The prince, who is in Australia for the Hamilton Island Race Week, was initially told he wasn't allowed inside the city's Jade Buddha bar on Friday because he didn't have identification.

The incident dominated question time in state parliament today.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said the controversial ID scanning laws, which require venues to scan the identification cards of all patrons who enter after 10pm, had been a resounding success.

D'Ath said she was not aware of any complaint made by the prince.

"If reports are correct the licensed venue applied the law equally to Prince Frederik as with anyone else visiting our venues," she said.

"The prince did obviously not take great offence to this as he returned a short time later and was granted entry."

D'Ath said it had not caused a "diplomatic incident as some would have you believe" and Queenslanders should be pleased the law applied to everyone.

But Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls used the incident to criticise the Government over its laws, which came into effect on July 1.

He questioned if the prince's fairytale romance with Tasmanian Mary Donaldson could have happened in modern-day Brisbane because he wouldn't have been allowed inside any venue.

The couple famously met in a random encounter at Sydney's Slip Inn bar during the 2000 Olympics.

Palaszczuk said the laws were backed by the LNP when they were in government.

"There is bipartisan support when it comes to ID scanning laws in this state," she said.

One Nation Queensland leader Steve Dickson vowed to roll back the laws if the party held the balance of power after the next election.

Jade Buddha co-owner Phil Hogan told AAP that staff initially denied entry to the prince and his entourage.

But they were persuaded to allow him inside after police officers from the state's Dignitary Protection Unit assured them they had received approval from the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation to make an exception.

An OLGR spokeswoman told AAP the regulatory body was "unaware" of the incident until Monday night, while a police spokesman said it did not "discuss operational security arrangements" for dignitaries.

- AAP