Kiron22 wrote on Jan 13
th, 2016 at 4:31pm:
If the problem is simply being spread further afield, can it really be claimed the laws have reduced violence, or have they simply pushed it out of the media spotlight?
Hospital admissions and violence rates have decreased in the regions that the laws have been applied to, but critics say that’s simply because there are less people there. City of Sydney data recorded footpath congestion as being down 84% in some areas since the laws were introduced.
And while violence has been at the centre of the debate, critics say the laws have also killed venues that rely on the late-night music scene.
“There was a feeling that the laws were hastily ushered in without any thought given to how they would affect the music scene and the cultural vibrancy of the city. Flash forward two years later and we’ve seen venues close their doors, hundreds of jobs lost, and with very questionable results on the rate of assaults,” said Koh.
These venues include Hugo’s Lounge (voted best nightclub in Australia six times), The Flinders Bar, Q Bar, Trademark Hotel and Soho; iconic destinations that once relied upon late night trading. Businesses are reporting profit losses of up to 40%, demonstrating the crippling effect of the laws on establishments once viewed as the beating heart of Sydney.
“Those lockout laws just killed us. We’re looking for compensation for a bad policy,” the manager of iconic bar The Flinders told Fairfax when shutting his doors for the final time.
And it’s not just venue owners who are losing profit; DJs and musicians can’t find work, and support industries such as convenience stores and kebab shops are struggling to remain open as their prime customers venture elsewhere.
A lesson in how to handle - and not handle - alcohol-fuelled violence may be learned from Victoria. In 2008, then Victorian-premier John Brumby introduced lockout laws following the state’s own spate of violent incidents. The three-month trial, which included 2am lockouts, was not continued and a KPMG report found an increase in late-night assaults.
“There appears to be a culture within the Victorian government to encourage and protect their music scene. Sadly this vision is something the NSW government lacks,” Loch says.
The businesses are fighting, but it’s a battle that gets more difficult as time passes.
A statutory review into the laws will be held in early 2016. Loch believes it’s up to Sydney’s voters to push for change.
“You have to fight for this, because having the odd whinge is not good enough,” he said. “There’s been talk about the people of Sydney taking this lying down, and it’s true.”
“Most people work hard and want to relax on the weekend. Whether that involves dinner, wine or Jager bombs. People who want to have a good time shouldn’t be penalised for it, and they shouldn’t be penalised for the misbehaviour of a few nice people,” Loch said.
For Koh, the message is simple. No amount of regulation or restriction will take away people’s desire to have fun.
“People want to go out late, that will not change, and they’ll do it one way or another. Prohibition never works.
NSW Police Minister Troy Grant did not respond to request for comment.
- Chris Sutton
And he's wrong..the only thing 'lock-out laws' do is reduce alcohol fueled violence, by limiting the number of pubs/clubs that drunken idiots can visit in one session.
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