Government sets review of Sydney lockout laws

A review of the lockout laws instated on February 24 last year will be carried out in June.

The government has said it won’t receive the 12-month data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research until then.

The 1:30am lockouts and 3am last drinks laws were passed by former Premier Barry O’Farrell in February and since then, pubs, clubs and live music venues have suffered. The Backroom was forced to close its doors in October, Flinders Hotel closed last weekandWorld Bar lost 20% of all revenue and staff. Many venues noted profit losses of up to 40% and the restriction of opening hours.

The NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research findings (for the period from October 2013 to September) noted a 40% drop in alcohol-related assaults at licensed premises in Kings Cross. However City of Sydney data suggested the decrease could be attributed to Kings Cross footpath congestion falling 84% in some areas.

Speaking on a panel at EMC last year, Damian Cunningham from the National Live Music Office discussed the benefits of an independent review of all economic impacts. The Hotels Association are currently doing an evaluation as is the NSW Treasury, but neither are independent.

“There is a very broad sweep of things that we can bring into this conversation,” said Cunningham, citing violence, drug and alcohol abuse and venue revenue impact among other evaluations.“There is an opportunity. If we dispel it down to individual elements of it, we’ll get caught within those.”

Also on the panel wasthe Deputy Director of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, Jackie Fitzgerald. She saidnon-domestic assault was dropping before the laws were put in place inFebruary.

“Non-domestic assault was dropping before the lockouts were put in place […] Prior to that lockout, there was just saturation from the media, and it’s not unfathomable that that caused a decrease. It’s caused a decrease wider than in the lockout venues, or in the zone.”

The review is expected tohonour a conversation between father of one-punch victim Thomas Kelly and Premier Mike Baird, where Baird said there would be no changes to lockouts in Kings Cross until at least February 2016.