Australia has had a troubled past with the laws that permit the drinking of alcohol. When a colony was established in New South Wales in 1788 there was a shortage of actual money and so the demon rum was the currency used in settling debts. The import of this spirit was quickly claimed by the army's officer corps which led to what became known as the " Rum Rebellion ". Alcohol has been subjected to restrictive laws ever since.
During the first world war as an austerity measure and to maintain work production the serving of alcohol ceased at six pm in all the mainland states. The exception was Tasmanian where the pubs opened at 10 am, and closed at 10 pm - on the dot. At that time the age at which a person could purchase alcohol was legally set at twenty-one years of age.
That six o'clock closing saw what became known as the " six o'clock swill ". Lines of people surged into pub bars just before the closing time and ordered glasses of beer which they consumed on the pavement outside when the doors were closed. That law was changed in 1955 in favour of universal 10 pm closing.
The imposition of the draft to fight the war in Vietnam brought a change in the drinking age. It was deemed unreasonable that at eighteen a man could be forced to serve in the army and fight a war, but was considered too immature to either drink alcohol of legally vote in elections. The age of maturity was lowered to eighteen.
Sydney became the " rest and resuscitation " city for both American and Australian troops fighting the Vietnam war and entertainment facilities expanded accordingly. The suburb of Kings Cross became a night life centre that endured and after the war it attracted vast and unruly crowds carousing into the small hours of the morning. Fearful that this was getting out of control, the government slapped on trading restrictions that stopped movement between venues and mandated last drinks at what became known as the " lockout laws ". Kings Cross faded into obscurity and Sydney lost its reputation as a world city.
Those laws will be lifted on January 14, just in time for Mardi Gras. A host of new regulations will come into force and that will include last drinks called at 3-30 am which is in line with most world cities. Small bars will gain new freedoms to attract more of the holiday crowd, and bottle shops will again be open until midnight. This relaxation will not extend to those old haunts in Kings Cross.
This revival is opposed by the medical profession which claims it will increase the workload for hospital emergency departments, but the general consensus is that Sydney is out of step with entertainment in the great cities of the world. The restrictive laws were necessary to curtail an unruly past and they have served that purpose.
Most fair minded people will approve this change. From January 14 it will be up to the venues providing entertainment and the people of Sydney using them to avoid a return to those unruly mob scenes that caused the close down. And they will need to remember that reimposition is simply a matter of a small law change away !
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