Sydney Reacts To Lockout Review

In a 151-page review, former High Court judge Ian Callinan recommended a two-year trial for live music venues in the Kings Cross and Sydney CBD precincts where the 1:30 a.m. “no new customers” lockout would be pushed back to 2 a.m., and 3 a.m. “last drinks” to 3:30 a.m.

Callinan reported the precincts had changed from being “grossly overcrowded, violent, noisy, and in places dirty” to “much safer, quieter and cleaner areas.” He acceded this came with a price, “with turnovers of licensees and some other businesses, and numbers of employees of them reduced.” While relaxation “carries the risk of greater density and consumption of more alcohol,” it may go some way to an orderly restoration of vibrancy and employment opportunities in the precincts.”

John Green, director of liquor and policing at the New South Wales (NSW) operations of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA), was “disappointed” there was no recommendation to remove the blanket 1:30 a.m. curfew entirely.

“We don’t support blanket measures that unfairly penalise many safe, well-run venues with a proven track record of compliance,” Green said. According to the AHA, hotels in NSW host more than 63,000 nights of live music each year. The Keep Sydney Open group is responding with a rally Oct. 9 in Sydney to demand all the lockout laws be reversed. A rally earlier this year drew 15,000.

“We shouldn’t have to settle for lock-them-up-and-throw-away-the-key policy solutions,” said spokesman Tyson Koh. “With each passing day the lockouts are in place, Sydney’s cultural life is damaged, small businesses are jeopardised and our internationally recognised artistic talent is ?nding it harder to be paid for their work.”

Nightclub operators say they’ve lost 40 percent of business since the laws were enacted two years ago. NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data shows a 45.1 percent reduction in non-domestic assaults in Kings Cross and a 20.3 percent reduction in the CBD since. Police and medical groups are calling for the laws to be expanded throughout NSW.