Queensland lock-out laws to be passed

Image: Brisbane venue The Brightside

Queensland’s lockout laws look like they’ll be passed after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk struck a last minute deal with two of Katter’s Australian Party MPs – neither of whom represent areas which will be affected by the lockouts.

Because of the Government’s slender majority in Parliament, it needed support of the three independents. Last year one of these, Billy Gordon, made it clear he would not support it.

As late as last week, the Katter MPs – Robbie Katter member for Mount Isa and Shane Knuth member for Dalrymple – were wanting more time to debate so they could study the findings and recommendations of the Parliamentary committee which investigated the pros and cons of the Tackling Alcohol-Fuelled Violence Legislation Amendment Bill 2015.

But overnight they were persuaded Premier Palaszczuk to support the new drinking hours and conditions. In return, the Government will prioritise more funding for mental health programs when framing the 2016-17 State Budget due on June 14. The pair also wanted “real action” on regional Queensland’s 15.1% unemployment rate.

“Alcohol-fuelled violence is an important social policy for the Government, and the impact of unemployment and the economic downturn are important social policy issues for us,” Katter said.

Katter and Knuth will support changes in law based on the following:

(1) Drug offenders can be banned from the 15 Safe Night Precincts, and that powers of courts be extended to impose banning orders on persons convicted of drug offences in Safe Night Precincts. Currently these banning orders only apply to offences of violence.

(2) The existing $8 million Safe Night Precinct funding be used to assist transition to new liquor laws, including for security.

(3) Trading hours for licensed venues will be implemented in a staged approach. Last drinks will be introduced by July this year as proposed – 3 am last drinks in entertainment precincts and 2 am last drinks in venues outside the precincts.

(4) The lockout laws will be independently reviewed from July 2018.

The state-wide live music industry was still calling for common sense to reign. John Lynch of the Cairns Liquor Safety Association again warned that the city’s tourism would be affected if its nightlife was curtailed.

Brisbane’s The Trifid club owner JC Collins, and former Powderfinger member, said the laws would destroy smaller 50 to 300 capacity venues and he expected bands to “pack up and go to Melbourne where they’re wanted because an enlightened government supports night time activity.

A proposal put forward by the venues agrees to a 3 am closure (but their exemption from lockouts) and compulsory ID scanning.

A study by Griffith University found that a consequence of shorter hours would be that punters would increase even more their pre-loading on drinks before they left home.

The laws could be passed as early as 4:30pm today.