The NSW Government has announced it will phase out the remaining elements of the lockout laws, after a review found they were “no longer fit for purpose”.
The laws, introduced in 2014 by the former Coalition Government, were designed to curb alcohol-related violence in Sydney’s CBD and inner-city suburbs.
Arts Minister John Graham said the lockout laws were developed with “good intentions,” but had had a “diabolical impact” on the city’s nightlife.
Lockout laws
Following the deaths of two young men in one-punch attacks in Kings Cross, the NSW Government rolled out changes to nightlife and alcohol laws in January 2014.
Venues in Sydney’s CBD and Kings Cross could not admit new patrons after 1:30am, or sell alcohol after 3am.
The changes also restricted NSW bottle shops from sales after 10pm.
The first of the measures were repealed in late 2016, following a review of the laws which found they could be “relaxed” in order to restore the affected areas’ “vibrancy”.
According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, non-domestic assaults fell by 53% in Kings Cross and 4% in the CBD over the first five years the laws were in place.
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At the same time, assaults in other popular nightlife precincts increased by 30%.
Changes
The latest changes follow a review by Liquor & Gaming NSW, which found “no compelling reason” to retain the regulations.
In response, the Government will allow venues to sell alcohol past 3:30am.
The changes will also scrap mandatory plastic cups, individual drink limits, and the ban on advertising shots during late trading hours.
Venues will no longer be required to have an ‘RSA marshal’ after midnight — security staff who would monitor intoxication and compliance of crowds.
The Government will retain violent incident registers, and the ban on outlaw bikie gang colours and symbols.
Gaming and Racing Minister David Harris said the Government would shift to “targeted, risk-based regulation of venues rather than blanket conditions.”
