Motion to scrap QLD’s 1am lockout narrowly defeated

The Queensland Government is branded “anti-jobs and anti-business” after a motion to overturn the state’s 1am lockout legislation before they come into effect on February 1, was defeated by a single vote.

The motion by the LNP Opposition read, “That this House calls on the Palaszczuk Labor government to scrap the introduction of a 1am lockout from 1 February 2017 because it will destroy jobs, destroy our tourism reputation and make no credible difference to violence in our late-night entertainment precincts.”

But it was defeated 45-44, a tie broken by the Speaker, Peter Wellington.

The vote was split along party lines. Forty-two LNP members were joined by independents Billy Gordon and Rob Pyne. On the other side, 42 ALP members and Bob Katter and Shane Knuth of the Katter Party sided together.

During the debate, MPs on both sides of the fence made the point that a statewide ban was unworkable – for the same treason that what were problems and solutions in Brisbane’s entertainment precincts were irrelevant to venues elsewhere.

The Opposition hit out after the defeat, saying, “The Palaszczuk Labor Government continues to turn its back on licensed venues across Queensland after refusing to abandon job-destroying regulations that will damage our tourism reputation and cripple our late night entertainment industry.”

Shadow Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Jarrod Bleijie, said “This is another slap in the face for business operators who have been left with crippling laws that make no creditable difference to violence in our late night precincts.

“Despite admissions from her own Minister Dr Anthony Lynham that the lockout laws will not work, Annastacia Palaszczuk stubbornly refuses to revisit them.”

The LNP’s strategy is that community representatives or local Safe Night Precinct stakeholders should make the decisions “because they know their patch better than anyone else. The one-size-fits-all policy simply will not work.”

Since the first phase of the lockouts was introduced in mid-winter, for last drinks at 3 am (in entertainment precincts, 2 am elsewhere), venues claimed a 20% trade. Early health industry figures suggested that alcohol-related hospital presentations remained at almost 1000 a month in Queensland. Research found that pre-loading, especially among teenagers, had increased.

Many venue owners on the Gold Coast said they didn’t mind a 3 am close, as most of the patrons have left by then. But they are concerned that the 1.30 lockout will hit their busiest trading period.

Nick Braban, Secretary of Our Nightlife Queensland, is pushing for live music venues to be exempt – in the same way that Queensland’s casinos are.

The lobby group has warned the loss of 6000 jobs, a loss of $150,000 to the economy.