END OF AN ERA: LAST DRINKS FOR REMAINING NSW LOCKOUT LAWS
Exactly 12 years since the lockout laws were announced and began damaging Sydney’s night-time economy, the Minns Labor Government is removing the final major lockout conditions, including the 3:30am ‘last drinks’ rule.
Removing these restrictions aims to boost the nighttime economy right across the former lockout areas: Kings Cross, Oxford Street and the Sydney CBD.
As part of this final farewell to the laws the NSW Government is also repealing the mandated use of plastic cups and the requirement for RSA marshals after midnight for certain venues, and the blanket per person drink limits and the ban on the promotion of shots during late trade in the precincts.
After targeted consultation and a downward trend in alcohol related nighttime assaults, a review by Liquor & Gaming NSW found these conditions were no longer fit for purpose and safety could be maintained through a targeted, case-by-case approach and ensuring individual venues are adhering to existing RSA requirements, Plans of Management and licence conditions. This ensures good operators are not punished just because they’re operating in the former lockout area.
The review determined three measures should be retained – the violent incident registers, preserving crime scenes and a ban on Outlaw Motorcycle Gang colours or insignia.
Announced by Liberal Premier Barry O’Farrell on the 21st of January 2014, the lockout laws were imposed on the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross in response to the violence problem at the time. This involved a package of measures applied to all licensed venues in the designated area, including the 1:30am lockout provision after which no new patrons could enter a venue.
This policy had the unintended consequence of damaging the city’s live music scene and Sydney’s reputation as a global city, with over half our music venues going out of business in the following decade.
In January 2020, just weeks before the pandemic arrived in Australia, the former government removed the 1:30am lockout provisions from the CBD and Oxford Street, followed by Kings Cross in 2021. Since that time, alcohol related night-time assaults have followed a downward trend in the former lockout areas.
Since coming to office in 2023, the Minns Labor Government has introduced three tranches of vibrancy reforms that have banned single-neighbour noise complaints, reformed the noise complaints system and removed unnecessary regulations that increased the cost and administrative burden for hospitality operators and decreased the enjoyment of patrons. Those regulations included rules that forced patrons to sit down outside venues, sign up for memberships at clubs if they were living within 5kms and even dictated which genres of music venues could program.
The $110 billion NSW night-time economy is undergoing a revival across a wide range of precincts, with eight new Special Entertainment Precinct going into trials in locations including Fairfield, Rozelle and Marrickville.
In total, there are 20 local councils working to establish Special Entertainment Precincts including Kiama, Tamworth, Manly, Cronulla, Burwood and Liverpool.
Live music is at the centre of the revival with more than 521 venues now taking up the government’s extended trading hours for programming music, which is almost four times the number of venues than when the government took office.
Read more >>> End of an era: last drinks for remaining lockout laws | NSW Government
For more information>>> L&GNSW Sydney CBD and Kings Cross precincts – liquor licence conditions.
