After proving time and time again that he’s as bullheaded as critics say, Mike Baird is set to relax his state’s notorious lockout laws, at least for a little while. As Nine News reports, the NSW government is set to trial a period of extended lockout time and bottle shop closing hours in Kings Cross and the Sydney CBD.
Still relatively hot on the heels of the Callinan Review (if we’re talking government time here), the Baird Government announced today they will extend closing hours from 3am to 3.30am, with lockout times for live entertainment venues extended from 1.30am to 2am for two years.
Bottle shops will also benefit from the trial, with last call on the sale of takeaway alcohol pushed one hour forward to 11pm. As some readers may note, these changes are pretty much in line with those outlined by former High Court Judge Ian Callinan in his report back in September, which featured almost 2,000 submissions, including many from industry stakeholders.
In their submission, popular Sydney night spot the World Bar shared their annual balance sheet, showing how management have been forking out an extra $224,900 per year as a result of the lockouts. Among the extra costs is the submission of data about their alcohol sales, costing them $3,000 annually.
However, if you’re expecting the easing to go any further, don’t hold your breath. “Mr Callinan found that the lockout laws introduced in February have resulted in ‘much safer, quieter and cleaner areas’,” Premier Baird said following the report. Callinan also warned that relaxation of the lockouts would result in more human traffic in lockout areas and higher alcohol consumption.
However, Keep Sydney Open aren’t all that impressed with the supposed ‘relaxation’. Taking to their official Twitter account, they scoffed at the push-back of a mere half an hour. “What a joke. A 30 minute relaxation is an insult to businesses and Sydney’s global status. Mike Baird is in for a rough ride,” they wrote.
