There is no doubt that back in 2014 Sydney had a festering problem with the drinking dens in Kings Cross. A few hundred yards of streetfront contained competing "nightclubs " offering almost twenty-four hour "entertainment ". On any Friday or Saturday night vast crowds moved between venues and Kings Cross became infamous for drunken behaviour - and fights. Unprovoked punches on complete strangers became the norm - and resulting deaths forced then Premier Barry O'Farrell to introduce law changes.
The "Lockout Laws " changed everything. On the stroke of one thirty nobody was permitted to enter any of these nightclubs. Those already inside could continue to drink but it became impossible to roam from venue to venue and once someone left the premises their only option was to go home. This new law governed alcohol strengths that could be served and closing time was mandated at 3 am. Bottle shops were forced to close at 10 pm.
The effect of this law change was dramatic. Crowd numbers dropped and very quickly the number of venues offering thinned out. Kings Cross no longer had that air of "excitement " that caused patrons to drift from place to place seeking where the "action "was happening. Patronage increased at hotels in other parts of the city - where these lockout laws did not apply - and a new and civilized drinking pattern emerged.
The alcohol industry is a big and powerful force in Australia - and it hated these lockout laws. Those huge crowds drawn to Kings Cross delivered profits to both the makers of alcohol and the proprietors of the venues providing entertainment. It was also a big employer and this movement curtailment saw many jobs in Kings Cross wither away, to be replaced by job opportunities in the suburbs where local hotels were making a renaissance.
When the lockout laws were introduced in 2014 it was promised that they would be reviewed after a two year trial. That review is now underway and the power and might of the liquor industry is being marshaled to achieve change. Already there are mutterings at the top of the police hierarchy that a relaxing of these laws might be considered, provided there was no return to the bedlam that had made their imposition necessary. In particular, the police would like the power to impose these laws on any venue anywhere in the city that was developing into a rowdy nightspot. Ideally, for a nominated period of time to bring it under control.
The closing time for bottle shops is also under pressure, particularly in country areas. It seems ludicrous to believe the contention that farmers are so time restricted that they are unable to obtain their liquor supplies before 10 pm - and need a later opening. It seems more likely that if bottle shops are still open when the hotels close there is a chance that some drinkers will buy packaged alcohol and continue drinking in a park or on a beach.
The liquor industry and those who profit from serving its products contend that Sydney is out of step on the world scene. The international set expect liquor to be available on a twenty-four hour basis and these restrictions relegate Sydney to a " Hick Town "status.
The thinking from the police probably has got it right. Relaxation of the law is an option, provided it remains available in reserve to be applied before any venue slips out of control. The ambition of venue proprietors is to sell more alcohol - and make more profit, but that must be curtailed within reasonable limits for public safety.
We certainly do not want to go back to the mayhem - and deaths - that prompted this legislation in the first place !
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