Official: No lockouts for Northern Territory

Chief Minister Michael Gunner has made it unequivocal: the Northern Territory Government will not be introducing lockout laws.

Alarm bells rang among local venue operators and the music industry when Attorney-General Natasha Fyles revealed on radio – in his absence when he was away on holidays – that lockout laws were still a possibility as part of its strategy to reduce alcohol-fuelled assaults.

She also mentioned that it would be looking at trading hours for licensed venues.

At the weekend, when asked to issue a response on these comments, Minister Gunner told the NT News, “Lockout laws will not be introduced by my Government. There will be no lockout laws. It is not on my radar or the Government’s. We are committed to alcohol harm minimisation strategies, but this is not among them.”

However, the Government will review the Liquor Act and examine licensing conditions and parameters. The Territory already has a 3:00am close rule.

The NT Government came into power on a landslide vote in mid-2016 on promises to fix the Territory’s alcohol problem.

It turned down a proposal from alcohol megastore Dan Murphy’s to expand its floor space for takeaway liquor outlets from 400 square metres. The company pulled out, losing jobs and economic dollars for the Territory.

Last week, the Government added 18 more police officers to combat youth crime in Darwin and Alice Springs.

The City of Darwin’s Safer Vibrant Darwin Plan 2016-2019 does not include lockout laws but suggests the introduction of ID scanners, better training for staff in licensed venues, safety issues as glasses used to serve drinks, sale of different types of alcohol and more late night public transport options.

As a result of setting up the Darwin Liquor Accord, more venues are serving alcohol responsibly and training staff to spot potential troublemakers.

It is expected that the Government will come under pressure from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) which has been pushing for the introduction of 1:00am lockout laws following moves in NSW and Queensland.

According to figures offered by the RACS, NT residents consume 13.73 litres of pure alcohol per year compared to the national average of 10.42 litres. Each additional hour of trading by licensed venues leads to a 16%–20% rise in assaults.

Late night assaults in Darwin spike on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with Saturday accounting for 25% of all facial trauma at the Royal Darwin Hospital (RDH).

41% of all facial trauma comes from the live music and nightclub precinct around Mitchell Street, and 61% occurs between the hours of 11:00pm on Thursday night and 4:00am on Sunday mornings.

The Australian Hotels Association NT says that any government plans to cut down violence in Darwin’s entertainment precincts should include a troublemakers register, and also an investigation into the drug trade in these areas rather than just alcohol consumption in pubs, music venues and nightclubs.