Newtown venues continue crack down on “imported” lockout drunks

For the past three years, venue operators in Sydney’s cool Newtown area have been complaining how aggressive drunks spilling over from the city’s lockout zones have been turning up to their laid-back neighbourhood and creating mayhem.

They had earlier warned the state government the spill-over would happen if the lockouts were implemented in the CBD and King’s Cross, but had been ignored.

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data covering the year since the lockouts came into effect in February 2014, showed an 80% increase in assaults in Newtown licensed venues.

Many of these were directed at the LGBT+ community who had enjoyed a stress-free existence in the inclusive suburb.

In September 2015, Newtown venues voluntarily introduced similar trading hours to the lockout, to stop the influx of party-goers heading their way after 3 am.

In the latest move, venues on Newtown’s King Street and Enmore Road have banned party buses coming from lockout zones.

The ban is through the Newtown Liquor Accord.

Its coordinator Richard Adamson told The Sun Herald that it would be enforced strictly.

“It’s not just bucks’ and hens’ parties, it’s all [passengers] on party buses,” he said.

“Usually they are pre-loaded, they have obviously been drinking at home and on the bus on the way in.

“We want an environment where locals and visitors can all enjoy a venue.”

Aside from the 80% rise in assaults, the 2015 Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data also showed that illegal sale and consumption of alcohol, public drinking and boozing in no-alcohol zones, leapt 189%.

Incidents of disorderly conduct escalated by 50%.

Fearful that the safe and diverse “special vibe” of Newtown would disappear, local venue owners worked to stop the spill-over effect of the lockouts.

Last December, they introduced a scheme via WhatsApp where offenders banned from one venue would also face the same consequence in other venues.

A recent ReachTel poll commissioned by The Sun-Herald found 38.8% of voters wanted the lockout laws eased.

48.1% wanted the lockouts to stay (the remaining percentages were undecided), compared to 70% in 2016.