About BARS Training Australia
BARS Training Australia (RTO No. 32061) is a Queensland-based Registered Training Organisation specialising in practical, industry-focused training for the security and hospitality industries. For almost two decades, BARS has delivered nationally recognised training across metropolitan, regional and remote Queensland, helping students develop the skills, knowledge and confidence required to perform effectively in their chosen industries.
The name BARS originated from Bouncer And Responsible Service, reflecting the organisation’s foundations in security, crowd control, liquor licensing and responsible service training. Since those beginnings, BARS Training Australia has developed into a multidisciplinary training organisation delivering security qualifications, specialised security training, first aid, firearms and weapons training, hospitality-related courses and ongoing professional development.
BARS is built around a simple philosophy: quality vocational education should combine the requirements of nationally recognised training with genuine industry knowledge and practical experience. Our students are therefore taught by experienced professionals who understand not only what is required to demonstrate competency, but how those skills are applied in real workplaces. The organisation is led by Chief Executive Officer and Principal Garry Oliver, whose career spans more than four decades across policing, security, liquor licensing, training, compliance, investigations, risk management and industry representation.
Leadership – Garry Oliver
Garry Oliver is the Chief Executive Officer, Principal and Training Manager of BARS Training Australia and has spent more than four decades working across policing, security, liquor licensing, vocational education, compliance and industry development.
Garry served for 24 years with the Queensland Police Service, including extensive operational policing and responsibilities associated with licensed premises, public safety and harm reduction.
During his police service, Garry was also trained as a District Firearms Training Officer (DFTO), providing him with specialist training and experience in firearms safety, handling and operational firearms practices. During the final nine years of his police service, he coordinated multi-agency strategies involving up to seven government and community agencies to address alcohol-related harm and improve safety within Queensland’s licensed venue environments.
Garry was the original founder of the Liquor Enforcement and Proactive Strategies (LEAPS) process, which became part of Brisbane City’s 17 Point Safety Action Plan. His work in harm reduction, licensed premises management and coordinated enforcement resulted in opportunities to lecture and share these strategies with enforcement, health and industry representatives throughout Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Following his Queensland Police Service career, Garry continued working directly within the security, hospitality and training industries. His experience has included security and liquor industry consulting, compliance management, major event operations, investigations, security operations and vocational education and training.
Garry has also provided evidence and industry representation to the Queensland Parliament on matters affecting security personnel, licensed premises and alcohol-related violence.
His continuing involvement in industry representation ensures that BARS Training Australia remains connected to the regulatory, workforce and operational issues affecting the industries in which its students will work.
His formal qualifications include:
Industry Leadership and Representation
Garry Oliver has maintained a strong commitment to representing and developing Australia’s security industry alongside his leadership of BARS Training Australia.
He is a National Director of the Security Providers Association of Australia Limited (SPAAL) and previously served as its National President. Through these roles, Garry has represented security industry interests in discussions with government, regulators and other industry bodies and has contributed to the development of policy, workforce and regulatory initiatives affecting security providers and security personnel.
His industry involvement has included participation in government and industry advisory groups concerned with security workforce development, training, regulation, professional standards and public safety. This experience provides BARS Training Australia with an important connection between vocational education and the broader security industry it serves.
Garry’s professional background also extends well beyond training. He has held security provider licences and has practical experience across crowd control, security operations, investigations, event management, licensed premises, first aid and security and liquor compliance. This combination of operational, regulatory, training and industry-representation experience shapes the practical approach taken by BARS Training Australia.
BARS believes that vocational education is strongest when trainers remain connected to the industries in which they teach. Our facilitators bring extensive experience from security operations, policing, defence, emergency response, management, workplace safety, firearms and defensive tactics, licensed premises and other specialist areas.
This collective experience allows students to learn from professionals who can place nationally recognised training into a genuine workplace context and explain not simply what to do, but why professional judgement, communication, safety and accountability matter.
Our Training Philosophy
BARS Training Australia is committed to providing practical, professional and supportive vocational education that prepares students to apply their skills confidently in real workplace environments.
Our training approach combines structured learning and assessment with practical demonstrations, realistic scenarios, role-plays, discussion and opportunities for repetitive practice. Students are encouraged to ask questions, learn from the experience of their facilitators and develop an understanding of the professional responsibilities that accompany the skills they are learning.
BARS Training Australia provides the facilities, equipment, learning resources and technology required to support effective training and assessment. Resources are regularly reviewed to ensure they remain appropriate to the training products being delivered, contemporary industry practices and the needs of our students.
Our commitment also extends beyond the classroom. BARS maintains strong connections throughout Queensland’s security industry and supports students with information about licensing pathways, professional development and employment opportunities. Many former students return to BARS throughout their careers for refresher training, additional qualifications and specialised professional development.
Above all, BARS Training Australia remains committed to continuous improvement. Student feedback, industry engagement, regulatory developments, professional development and the experience of our training team are used to continually review and improve the way we deliver our services.
After almost two decades of training Queensland’s security and hospitality workforce, our objective remains straightforward: provide professional training, genuine industry knowledge and meaningful student support that gives every student the opportunity to develop the competence and confidence required for their chosen career.