Lockout laws to be relaxed
So it’s finally happened: Sydney's controversial lockout laws have been relaxed.
There will now be a new closing time of 3.30am for live entertainment.
New South Wales premier Mike Baird announced today that the restrictions will be pushed back 30 minutes.
That means the lockout time for venues will stretch from the current 1.30am to the new 2am. And the current "last drinks" at 3am are wound back 30 minutes.
Also, the statewide 10pm closure of takeaway alcohol sales will be relaxed. Under the new rules announced by the government, bottle shops and booze delivery services allowed to trade until 11pm.
The changes follow recommendations made by former High Court justice Ian Callinan who said a 2am lockout and 3.30am last drinks should be trialled in venues that offered live entertainment, such as music venues.
According to the government, venues seeking the 30 minute extension will "need to run substantial live entertainment including after midnight and demonstrate a genuine focus on art, live performance and cultural events".
The lockout laws have been an electoral problem for Mr Baird. In October, thousands of protesters took to the streets in an anti-lockout law rally. People have also been angry about the Star Casino being exempted from the lockout laws. As a result, the Premier has earned the nickname “Casino Mike”. And it will stick. Add to that the blow to his credibility when he did a backflip on the greyhound racing ban following a massive campaign on talkback radio and in the tabloid newspapers.
Still, some like Matt Barrie, chief executive of Freelancer.com, were not impressed by an extra 30 minutes.
Barrie, who has condemned the lockout laws in a LinkedIn post that went viral, an extra half hour will have next to no impact on Sydney’s night life.
"The rumours were that Mike Baird was going to resign this morning, that would have been better news," Mr Barrie told the Australian Financial Review.
"Baird really must take the people and small businesses of Sydney for idiots if he really thinks 30 minutes will do anything. This is just a delay tactic so his developer friends can dismantle the rest of the prime locations in Sydney's CBD before the real estate market turns and the casino at Barangaroo has a chance to start operations."
by Leon Gettler, December 8th 2016
