Call for lockout laws in Perth

Perth doctors are calling for lockout laws following a violent brawl.

The brawl, captured on video, broke out Northbridge, Perth's main entertainment precinct, at about 4am on Sunday. The video showed tables, chairs and glass bottles being thrown around and one man even ripping a brick out of the ground.

The Australian Medical Association's WA president Michael Gannon said Perth needed something like Sydney’s lockout laws with statistics showing lockouts had reduced violence, including presentations in emergency departments and injuries and deaths from alcohol-related incidents, while encouraging families back into the city.

He said hospitals had their hands full on Friday and Saturday nights with drunk people accounting for one-third of presentations.

“This idea that being able to pile in the booze in some bloodhouse until 5-6am is part of a normal society - we have got to get past that," Gannon told 6PR radio.

"The evidence exists that the longer the liquor venues are open, the more trouble you see.

"It is not draconian, wowserism or threatening in any way the vibrancy of a city to say that by 3am it might be time to consider heading for your cot."

But the Australian Hotels Association's WA chief executive Bradley Woods said there was no need for Sydney-style lockout laws.

He said the city already had sufficient laws in place requiring venues to stop serving alcohol 30 minutes before they closed.

He said pubs and clubs could shut or stop serving alcohol earlier if they wanted to and had sufficient flexibility to decide what to do.

"Police don't have the resources to be policing parties in the suburbs at two, three or five in the morning and it is far better to have young people congregate in places where they can have some control and responsible supervision," Mr Woods told the West Australian.

Police Minister Liza Harvey said Northbridge was safer now than it was a decade ago.

She said the number of assaults had fallen 36 per cent since the coalition government was elected in 2008.

by Leon Gettler, 3^rd May 2016