The Queensland Government has confirmed that it will be scrapping its proposed 1am lockout laws, which caused a serious stir last year.
Although the decision had been considered vetoed for some days now, the official call was made during Monday’s Cabinet meeting. The 1am lockout will be scrapped in favour of I.D. scanners, which will be mandated across all venues from July 1st.
The decision came after an interim report that concluded there had been no “obvious reduction” in alcohol-related violence after six months of liquor restrictions. The laws, introduced in July 2016, prohibited the sale of drinks after 2am or 3am in nightclub precincts like Fortitude Valley. Shots, doubles and pre-mixed drinks with more than 5 per cent alcohol were also banned after midnight, an even stricter ruling than those which have affected much of Sydney’s nightlife.
The report found, “The current evidence suggests the introduction of lockouts is not likely to significantly change current trends (expect for pre-drinking).”
The Cabinet’s decision is as follows:
- number of one-off permits to allow trading until 5am would be cut from 12 to six in SNPs
- use would be limited “special events” to be defined by a criteria approved by the Government, rather than 5am trading being “business as usual”
- State-wide end of alcohol service at 2am unless the venue is in a Safe Night Precinct (SNP)
- 3am last drinks in Safe Night Precincts
- ban on the sale of rapid intoxication, high alcohol-content drinks after midnight; and enforce ID scanners from 1 July 2017 in SNP and enforce banning orders.
Hopefully, the research done in Queensland will trickle down to the NSW government, who have announced an insulting relaxation of Sydney’s lockout laws by 30 minutes. The #KeepSydneyOpen movement were set to protest this motion last week, but following a threat of legal action, have moved the “bigger, louder and stronger” rally to Saturday, 18th February.
Read our interview with Queensland organisation Right To A Good Night.
Image: Yahoo Australia
A report released today by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR) suggests that Sydney’s lockout laws are to blame for an increase in violence at The Star casino and in the surrounding suburb of Pyrmont.
The research is based on an analysis of trends in police reports about criminal incidents that occurred in the area from January 2009 to December 2015. It also included a narrative analysis that considered descriptions of each incident, offering further details about the nature of the assault and the people involved.
It found “the number of assaults in The Star casino precinct was significantly higher in the post-lockout period, even after controlling for seasonal effects and any pre-existing trend.”
“The majority (66%) of assaults in Pyrmont were common assaults (the least serious form of assault), occurred on either Saturday or Sunday (73%) and were judged by police to be alcohol-related (73%).”
So alcohol-fuelled violence obviously occurs at casinos as well but we’re still waiting on a satisfactory explanation for why The Star and a number of other venues were exempt when they clearly face the same issues as bars, clubs and live music venues. I wonder if Mike Baird will finally admit that the lockout laws are unfair, opportunistic and don’t actually solve the problem they were implemented for.
Image: ABC News
No doubt #CasinoMike will jump on the fact that the Director of BOCSAR, Dr Don Weatherburn, noted the increase in assaults at The Star was relatively small when compared to the reduction in assaults at Kings Cross and CBD entertainment precincts but we already know that’s because there’s no one left to be assaulted.
A review into the lockout laws is currently underway to be presented to the Government in August. Hopefully they’re ready to listen to the people, musicians, one punch victims and business owners who have been directly affected by these laws and want them to be repealed.
Stop punishing the majority of normal, fun-loving, non-violent people for the mistakes of a very small percentage of ignorant dickheads. Hit them with harsher penalties or teach them early on that violence is not okay, don’t just slap us all with an early bed time and hope that the social and cultural problems will disappear on their own.
Image: Nat Kassel for Howl & Echoes, view the whole gallery here
Surprise surprise, the Lord Mayor of Sydney Clover Moore has branded the cities’ lockout laws as “terrible.” When your own mayor is branding the lockout situation like this, you know you’ve got a problem. With foot traffic down by a whopping 84 per cent and the demise of more than 40 nightlife venues, it’s no surprise that the Mayor is calling for a revision to the arcane laws.
The City of Sydney is suggesting a different strategy to that of the blanket lockout laws currently in place, which prohibit entry into a club after 1:30am and the sale of alcohol in said venues after 3:00am. Instead, the council is taking a middle-of-the-road approach, arguing that “safe” venues falling within Sydney’s lockout zones should be exempt from the normal restrictions.
Moore believes this approach would strike a balance between safety and keep the nightlife economy going.
“We want a civilised, safe late-night economy with different options for people of all ages to go out and enjoy themselves after dark, without the blood-soaked, drunken punch-ups on the street,” said Lord Mayor Moore.
The public condemnation comes at a time when there is mounting pressure on the government to revise their laws after seemingly implausible exemptions have been to made to both Star City casino and James Packer’s new casino currently under construction in Barangaroo, as well as a number of other Sydney venues too.
Describing the lockout laws as a “sledgehammer”, Moore is arguing what every sane, rational human being in Sydney believes: a moderate strategy in place which focuses on harm minimisation instead of punitive measures which target the population in its entirety for the actions of a few.
Coward punch victims, musicians and entrepreneurs have all called for an end to the measures which were put into place in 2014 after the deaths of two coward punch victims in Kings Cross, the epicentre of the lockout war.
A submission made by the City of Sydney to the independent review of the laws will propose 31 new recommendations as a last attempt resort at resuscitating Sydney’s flagging nightlife. Under the proposed changes, special consideration would be taken into account based on the venue’s history of safety. If the venue is compliant with liquor and safety laws, then they should, theoretically, be allowed to continue to serve alcohol after 3am as no danger is posed.
Conversely, venues who continue to violate RSA requirements will have their liquor licences revoked or they will not be renewed.
Additionally, the Council wants live music venues and well-managed bars, clubs and pubs to be exempt, which is a great idea considering that these places not only add to the culture of Sydney, but form a significant source of employment and revenue for the entire inner-city area of Sydney.
This is something Moore is incredibly aware of: “It has had negative impacts on businesses, including live music venues, small bars and restaurants, and many people have lost their jobs. It’s a significant sector – in 2013, late-night activities were valued at over $17.8 billion and employed more than 30,000 people.”
Matt Barrie, the entrepreneur who wrote the damning essay, Would The Last Person In Sydney Please Turn The Lights Out?, whose words reverberated around the internet in resounding agreeance, has submitted another 70-page essay, this time, titled The Death of Sydney’s Nightlife and Economic Collapse of its Night Time Economy, claiming manipulated data and the political agenda behind the laws.
However, the proposed measures are not without their critics, with emergency workers labelling the laws as ‘irresponsible’, which is understandable considering that the paramedics and police have to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.
Scott Weber, who is the spokesman for Last Drinks, a coalition representing emergency workers, thinks that any changes to the law are putting this group lives in the firing line. “It beggars belief that our elected officials would be so willing to disregard the evidence that shows the current laws are saving lives.”
“Winding back the current alcohol-related violence laws would be a disaster and would undoubtedly put lives at risk.”
Last Drinks puts forward the old argument of the “huge decrease” in violence and assaults in the CBD since the introduction of these laws, which is by now a very defunct argument considering that there is less violence simply because there are fewer people in these areas to cause such disturbances. Lies, damn lies and statistics on behalf of the Baird government, a Fairfax investigation found.
Instead, violence is pushed into the satellite suburbs surrounding the CBD, such as Newtown. This resulted in transgender Sydney musician Stephanie MacCarthy being viciously assaulted by five men.
Even though the absurd lockout laws have met nearly universal resistance and condemnation in Sydney, they have since been introduced Queensland. They were introduced, despite us knowing that they do more harm than good.
Lockout laws suck, guys. Even with the best of intentions, they are having a negative impact on some of the most salient aspects of contemporary Australian culture, like live music.
When the Lord Mayor of Sydney’s cultural and economic centre says something is wrong, it’s time to listen.
“Well-managed late-trading premises are essential to our city’s cultural life and economic growth – and people need to feel safe, no one wants to wake up to blood and urine on their doorstep,” said Moore.
“We need to get both right.”
We couldn’t agree Moore.
Image: Daily Telegraph
Words and photos by Nat Kassel
On Saturday Reclaim the Streets happened again. At least 1000 people congregated at Town Hall and marched through Darling Harbour to The Star casino, where they placed a massive Styrofoam turd at the entrance.
The protest was yet another example of Sydneysiders expressing their contempt for the lockout laws, which don’t allow patrons into venues after 1.30am and prohibit alcohol sales after 3am.
Most Sydneysiders regard the lockout laws as “unjustified” and feel the government has handled the situation inadequately, according to a survey published on Thursday by the Socialites.
Protesters were particularly critical of the government for exempting The Star casino from the lockout zone.
“It’s obvious to everyone the casinos have bought themselves an exemption to the lockouts,” says the Reclaim the Streets Facebook page.
The Star (formerly Star City) donated millions of dollars to both major political parties between 1998 and 2011, before the NSW Government banned donations from liquor, gaming and tobacco companies.
In spite of all the heavy feelings of government betrayal, the protest was more like a party, with scores of people dancing, drinking and hula hooping their way through the city. It almost felt like another Mardi Gras, with dozens of turntables and sound systems being wheeled through the city like floats.
After the Styrofoam turd was dutifully delivered to The Star, the festivities settled in Pirrama Park, where booze flowed and tunes were pumped into the night.
Last month, the Queensland Government announced that Australia’s strictest lockout laws would be introduced statewide in July of this year. The laws are expected to dramatically transform Brisbane’s nightlife scene, especially in Fortitude Valley where most of the best clubs and live venues are found. After the introduction of similar laws in Sydney, the last couple years in Kings Cross have been dire. Local businesses have seen foot traffic reduced by 80% in the lockout zone and the laws have forced upwards of 40 bars, venues, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs to close. Violence is down 25% but considering there’s so few people around, isn’t this statistic kind of void? Especially when casinos – exempt from the laws and therefore filled with punters who have nowhere else to go – are becoming hotspots for alcohol-fuelled violence. Queenslanders should now be preparing for their nightlife to suffer a similar fate.
To get the low down, we spoke to Jeremy Di Re who works as marketing and entertainment manager at Brisbane live music venue, The Brightside. He runs the Facebook page Right to a Good Night, which encourages discussion and lobbies for the opposition of lockout laws in Queensland.
https://www.facebook.com/righttoagoodnight/photos/a.339073459624477.1073741829.335502103314946/436410563224099/?type=3&theater
Why did you start Right to A Good Night?
I started Right to a Good Night back before the last state election when the Government made a policy to enact a 1am lockout, a 3am last drinks and a 12am ban on shots, neat spirits and cocktails because I thought that was bad policy. The page grew out of a Facebook group of people that were against the lockout laws.
What kinds of people were in that original group?
There were a lot of people from the music industry and other young people from Brisbane who work in the Valley. We didn’t really expect to to go too much further but here we are.
What does the page do?
What it does is provides information and bits and pieces to try and educate people about the negative effects of lockouts where they’ve been used elsewhere and also how they’re gonna affect Queensland.
Is there an ultimate goal?
Since before the last lot of lockouts were announced as policy 2 or 3 years ago, we’ve always stated our ultimate goal was to stop lockout laws in Queensland. We were always against the 3am lockouts, we thought that caused more damage than good. Violence had a dip but lockouts in general haven’t really shown evidence of doing anything at all. It was the 5am shut down that really helped decrease violence. That’s what we currently have in place.
Can you suggest something people might not know or consider about how these laws will affect them?
There’s lots of flow on effects from lockouts. It’s not just bars, venues and clubs. Anything that exists in late night and entertainment precincts relies on and is built around that night time economy and when that economy is decimated, all the businesses, even those that exist during the daytime will go too. You can’t destroy an entertainment precinct without destroying the culture that’s built around it.
The Valley’s not gonna be the same during the day, it’s not gonna be that cool place to have your office or go get a coffee and go to the markets because when all the bars are gone, that’ll rip the foundation out of the Valley. They’re gonna rip the foundation out of every nightlife precinct in Queensland.
Is there anything you think is good about the new laws that will be introduced in July?
The 3am last drinks will work to a degree and the industry probably would’ve come to the table on that too, had the Government bothered to consult anyone. But it’s the 1am lockouts we really have a problem with. They’re just cruel and they’re not gonna do anything except shut businesses down.
With everything that’s happened in Sydney, do you think if they had the last drinks but not the lockout, it wouldn’t have forced so many places to shut down?
Well it would’ve helped. Sydney’s a different beast. It’s just that one area that has them [the lockout laws] and it’s that one area that had all the really good late night clubs. It’s like they purposely just dumped the lockouts in just to close those places down.
https://www.facebook.com/KeepSydneyOpen2014/videos/vb.710458675653681/1137662826266595/?type=2&theater
What do you think about the effects this could have on smaller towns in Queensland like Cairns and Townsville?
They’re already struggling, there’s not a lot going on up there. It’s hard enough to be a young person in Mackay or something as it is, let alone without being able to get a band together to go play some shows at the pub because the pub’s not there anymore. Or the pub’s full of pokies because the only way they can stay open or turn a profit is to scam people out of their money with gambling machines.
Do you think that live music venues should be exempt from the lockouts?
Yes, because of the same justification that extends to casinos. Their main reason for trading is not drinking, it’s gambling. By the same logic, the main reason for the Brightside, The Zoo or Crow Bar stay open is because they provide live music.
What about the argument that gigs usually finish before 1am?
That’s fair enough and it’s true, gigs often do finish before midnight but the revenue that keeps those venues alive, 70% of it comes after midnight. If they can’t make that extra revenue after bands are finished – the venue’s finished.
Soon kids aren’t gonna come out at all, there’s going to be a whole bunch of people who think, “if I can’t go out all night then what’s the point?” I think that’s what we saw in Sydney.
Do you know people in Melbourne and Sydney with similar jobs – what do they think about the lockout laws being introduced in Queensland?
The company that I used to work for, Destroy All Lines runs tours and venue nights all over the country and the sentiment is pretty much the same across all places – these laws are a bad idea. We’re those people that are out every single weekend, sometimes more than once to multiple places and we have an intimate knowledge of the way people act in our separate cities.
For instance, the last few weeks in Brisbane have been really big weekends because there’s sort of this feeling that people are thinking, “shit I’ve gotta get out and experience this before it’s gone.” I think that’s directly attributed to the laws being passed.
What about violence, how could we solve that problem without lockouts?
Educate not legislate. You have all of these 18-25 year olds who grew up watching the footy show every day with their dad and they had this comedian on the show wearing a t shirt that says “Bring back the biff.” He basically condoned violence and said fighting’s great and you gotta get out there and punch someone if you don’t like them. We need to tell kids in school that behaviour like that is fucking stupid.
What measures could you suggest to make the Valley safer?
Bring back the chill out zone, that seemed to work really well. There used to be one on Brunswick street where you could come to this place and calm down and they’d give you water.
More cops is also always an answer to violence. Cops [in the Valley] are usually walking around with council officers to make sure they don’t get bashed for fining people who drop cigarette butts… So that’s where the resources are going at the moment.
What do you think about BIGSOUND potentially leaving Brisbane?
The whole concept and the way BIGSOUND runs, you can’t achieve that with lockouts at 1am. There’s still bands playing at 2:30, 3 in the morning at BIGSOUND and we’re showcasing Brisbane, Queensland, Australia to all these people from around the world who are not gonna come here and be told they have to stop drinking at 3am or they can’t go anywhere else after 1am. What’s it gonna do for our international reputation?
There’s a good scene here, everyone who works within Brisbane’s music industry and around the Valley knows each other and gels really well, but it’s gonna take so much more to keep it going after the laws come in.
You can see in Sydney how their reputation internationally has been totally ruined by lockouts. They’ve been called a laughing stock because they are. If Sydney can’t survive it, we’ve got no chance.”
What can be done from here?
There’s an independent review around 18 months from when the laws will be introduced. The main thing to do until then is really lobby anyone in parliament who will listen to say, “these laws are bad and the evidence is right there in Sydney.” They need to see that people are still angry about it and young voters will vote against it. They need to know public sentiment towards these laws is really negative.
Anything else you want to include?
The main thing that I wanna do is keep people angry. You can see them already starting to think, “oh well it’s done, we’re all defeated.” People need to stay pissed off and remember that everyone is gonna tell you that these laws don’t matter in the grand scheme of things. But you’re allowed to be pissed off and to care about something that directly affects you.
Image: Right to a Good Night
It was only just a month ago that social media and all of Sydney was ablaze with outrage over Mike Baird’s use of misleading statistics in an attempt to prove whatever point he was trying to make about the success of Sydney’s lockout laws. The weekend following saw 15,000 people march in the Keep Sydney Open rally, with #CasinoMike well and truly trending at that point. With Baird shouting down pill testing, and Brisbane adopting lockout laws, it’s been sad times for issues surrounding music and nightlife in general. With another 13k people attending the Reclaim The Streets rally happening this Saturday afternoon (March 19th), there’s now even more to get angry about.
Check our photos of the Keep Sydney Open rally here
Monday night saw supporters for and against the lockouts meeting at Sydney University’s Institute of Criminology, with discussion from health professionals, academics, and statisticians. Dr Don Weatherburn – who you’ll remember debunked all the stats that Mike Baird had falsified a month ago – of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research (BOCSAR), gave his impressions on the rate of assaults post-lockout.
According to the report, since the lockout laws were introduced in March of 2014, rate of assaults had dropped in the CBD and Kings Cross by 45%. They also addressed however, the obvious reasons for this, which are the steady decline of assaults since 2008, and the huge decrease in foot traffic in both of those areas. Nighttime foot traffic in Kings Cross is down 84%, and that fact hasn’t been addressed in any reports in favour of lockout laws thus far.
“In the CBD things go as you expect with no change in assaults prior to the lockout time but a significant change [after] 1:30am. The fact you are getting these reductions outside the lockout time may suggest fewer people are going to Kings Cross. Even if we admit the lockout laws are responsible, we don’t know what element generated that effect – was it the lockouts, earlier closing or the publicity?” – Dr Don Weatherburn
For many of us, this isn’t particularly new information – if you’d actually been paying attention to all the statistics, this has been clear for a very long time. What was upsetting though, and again obvious for a while, was the clarification that though instances of assault had not increased in all areas outside of the lockout zones, they had significantly in Pyrmont, where The Star is located.
Image: Gordon McComiskie
Since the lockouts were introduced, we’ve been seeing more and more brutal assaults happening at The Star, with the casino constantly claiming that everything is fine and there’s nothing to worry about. In a statement to news.com.au, a Star City spokesperson claimed that, “The Star receives more than 11 million visitors per year and our safety record is strong. The number of incidents to visitors is one to 200,000 plus. At The Star, we witnessed a downward trend and a decrease in the number of assaults for calendar year 2014 to end of calendar year 2015. These are figures that are agreed with the casino regulator each month.” Actually you know what, you’re right The Star. Stastically speaking, that’s not very bad at all actually. I mean, the fact that only a few people have committed assaults and the majority have done nothing wrong shouldn’t mean that those not responsible have to suffer right?
Oh wait.
Violence at The Star has gotten so bad that it’s been classified by BOCSAR as one of Sydney’s assault hot spots. Is that enough for the state government to recognise the fact that it’s worse than any of Sydney’s other vibrant nightlife areas ever was? Or will the casinos continue to stay in the pockets of government until it’s become even worse? Well, that’s where everyone else comes in.
https://www.facebook.com/KeepSydneyOpen2014/videos/vb.710458675653681/1137662826266595/?type=2&theater
Though it’s been announced that the government will hold a “night-time economy roundtable”, including a panel of business owners and anti-lockout groups, and promising that “all relevant aspects of the laws, including the geographical areas to which they apply will be examined”, there’s still work to be done. Peaceful protests and marches like Keep Sydney Open and Reclaim The Streets need the support of everyone and anyone who knows that this isn’t right. Are we going to let this get swept under the rug? Fuck no! Are we going to go kicking and screaming until something changes and people prick their ears up at the truth? Fuck yes!
Reclaim The Streets, this Saturday, 3pm, Town Hall. Be there if you care.
Photo: Bloomberg
On July 1st, Australia’s strictest lockout laws to date will be introduced in Queensland. It begins with 2am or 3am last drinks and it ends with the the closure of our iconic, much-loved venues and the dull of our once bright and thriving nightlife.
The head of QMusic, Joel Edmondson says Queensland’s incoming lockout laws could force the internationally renowned music industry conference BIGSOUND to move interstate. Since 2002, the conference has been held annually in Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. A vibrant cultural hive where innovative, inspiring and passionate musicians, venue owners and industry experts come together to create a perfect storm of new musical discovery. However, if Brisbane is to experience the same number of venue closures as Sydney, the depressing fact is the city simply won’t have the capacity to host a conference of this size.
Edmondson says moving the event would “seriously damage Queensland’s reputation as a place where arts and culture are nourished,” and would also “take over $3 million dollars out of the local economy.” But that’s just the beginning. The Palaszczuk Government pushed these laws through without consulting live music stakeholders or entering into a discussion about the effects they would have on the livelihoods of people in the music community. As it’s a $1.9 billion dollar per year industry, I’d say that’s a pretty big oversight. Edmondson has called on the state Government to work with QMusic and other industry members to develop a “contemporary music strategy for the state” that collaborates with those affected. A great idea in theory but when it comes to lockout laws (as seen by our Southern counterparts in Sydney), the Government would prefer to disregard common sense.
Data collected by APRA-AMCOS, the organisation that monitors royalties paid to musicians in Australia, found that between February 2013 and January 2015, live performance revenue dropped in the Sydney CBD by around 40%. There has also been a 19% drop in attendance figures across all live venues that fall within the lockout area and the venues themselves have been spending 15% less on live music.
Australia’s Live Music Office Policy Director John Wardle says “these figures demonstrate the actual impacts for musicians [and] venues,” and the lockout laws are “an indiscriminate process that impacts well-run businesses.” The Live Music office has called for important measures to be put in place around the country to “reduce the impacts to the live music sector that are now being experienced in Sydney, whilst still ensuring public safety.”
Sydney’s lockout laws are up for review in the coming months, but in a Facebook post that launched a tirade of criticism, New South Wales Premier Mike Baird has said “it is going to take a lot for me to change my mind on a policy that is so clearly improving this city.” A bunch of notable musicians did not agree with his so-called improvements, and slammed his condescending statement. This also prompted a huge attendance at the Keep Sydney Open rally, which saw literally thousands of protestors marching in the Sydney CBD for their right to be treated as adults.
Queensland’s laws will soon be implemented with no review planned for two years, but two years is all it took for Sydney to become a ‘ghost town’.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJTyi9GiM7w]
Edmondson says, “No one in Government has been able to assure me that what’s happened in Kings Cross won’t happen in Fortitude Valley,” and he is “expecting a call from the Premier and the Attorney General that proves they’re actually serious and committed to engaging meaningfully with the challenges and opportunities for contemporary music in Queensland.”
The majority of live venues make their money in sales after the bands have finished playing. They use that money to fund the gigs that bring our favourite bands to our city for us to see. The smaller venues also provide countless opportunities for up and coming artists to book gigs and get their music out in front of a crowd. Imagine how many talented people will slip through the cracks, decide not to bother or choose to move interstate instead. Brisbane has produced some hugely successful acts who built careers on the opportunities available in this city. Violent Soho proudly plaster the 4122 postcode for Mansfield on their merch, Dune Rats shot their Pogo video in the poisonous, azure waters of the quarry and I swear Velociraptor sneak their way on to every line up ever. If the venues that nurtured these artists’ careers couldn’t trade after 3am or if people chose to leave before the 1am lockout, they would have been forced to close a long time ago and we would’ve missed out on some damn incredible music.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6LM-5-oC-k]
Image: The Music
Online comedian/public commentator Friendlyjordies has quickly risen to viral status, thanks to his YouTube videos that are both politically charged, socially observant and also pretty hilarious. Over the past few months, he has become increasingly angry at the current political climate in Australia, with his videos becoming more and more cutthroat than ever, and his latest holds absolutely nothing back.
Taking square and firm aim at NSW premier Mike Baird in the most direct way he ever has, Friendlyjordies launched a viral smack-down today with his latest video. In just under 8 minutes, he strips away Baird’s political spin about his precious lockout laws and exposes them for what they really are – an obvious lie to his constituents and a ploy to funnel more money into his precious casino buddies (who are exempt from the laws). Blasting Baird’s recent Facebook post and his now-proven false statistics, Friendlyjordies gives absolutely no fucks as he goes totally in on the Premier. It makes you almost sick to your stomach as you watch the clip, purely because of how obviously true it all is, and how hopeless it all feels right now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeMRLC1F6yM
Brutal, right?
Friendlyjordies is actually set to take his show on the road, hitting Brisbane for Stoogefest where he will partake in a panel discussion about QLD’s lockout laws. It’s also been hinted that he will also be heading to Melbourne and Sydney, with more details on that still to come. See here for more details on Brisbane’s Stoogefest.
Image: FasterLouder
Today was the day of the Keep Sydney Open rally, a day where it was up to the Sydney public to show their increasing dissatisfaction with the current lockout laws that continue to decimate Sydney’s nightlife and live music scene. Whilst numbers were expected to be pretty big, the turnout that the city saw today was beyond anyone’s expectations.
It’s expected that over 15,000 people were in attendance for the march, as well as the speeches and live performances afterwards. Not even rain could turn the crowds away, and it wasn’t just your average punters that were in the ranks either. The likes of Flight Facilities, Nina Las Vegas, Flume, Touch Sensitive and more were amongst the 15,000 strong crowd. Meeting at Belmore Park near Sydney’s Central Station, the crowd worked its way through the CBD as a bittersweet tribute to the venues and businesses that have already fallen victim to the lockout laws, and the ones who look set to close up next.
Check out our full photo gallery of the rally here
After the march, punters heard Nina Las Vegas, Izzi Manfredi from The Preatures and more give speeches, whilst the likes of Art Vs Science and Royal Headache, both staples in the Sydney music scene, treated the crowd to stellar performances.
https://www.facebook.com/ninalasvegas/posts/1261750307185205
Art Vs Science even hit the nail on the head with a cover of The Beastie Boys‘ (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right.
.@artvsscience: "You gotta fight for your right to partyyyyyyy." Crowd goes nuts #KeepSydneyOpen pic.twitter.com/08k9flIwb3
— Vanessa Lawrence (@nesslawrence) February 21, 2016
Stay posted for more photos of the day, and pat yourselves on the back if you were a part of the rally today. Let’s just hope that NSW Premier Mike Baird, and by extension QLD Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk who has just passed laws of her own, hear the message and begin to take the progressive and necessary steps to rectify these mistakes.
Image: Music Feeds
This week has been one of the biggest yet in regards to Sydney’s controversial lockout laws. NSW Premier Mike Baird, perhaps mistakenly, took to Facebook on Monday to weigh in on the “hysterical” outcry that has reached a critical point over the past few weeks, and was promptly slammed by everyone from business owners, artists, punters and more who weren’t buying his perspective on the issue.
Since then, a whopping 14,000 people have commented on the post, and that number is continuing to grow. It has also prompted an outpouring of open letters, memes, mock songs and more to Baird himself, with many capitalising on the fact that casinos remain exempt whilst he basically destroys the live music industry. From considered, well-constructed responses to more “unsavoury” comments, Baird has been on the receiving end of one of the most brutal takedowns seen on social media in a long, long time.
Attempting to provide some personal accounts, Sydney artists like Alison Wonderland, Basenji, Nina Las Vegas, Flight Facilities, and What So Not have all taken to their own Facebook pages to address Premier Baird, his out of touch laws and his condescending response.
https://www.facebook.com/awonderdj/posts/10154580230236562
https://www.facebook.com/ninalasvegas/photos/a.206206166072963.64378.205898556103724/1254180494608853/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/officialbasenji/posts/821137311330440
https://www.facebook.com/whatsonot/photos/a.260364037345414.57761.142107445837741/952044024844075/?type=3&theater
https://www.facebook.com/flightfacilities/photos/a.297345931656.154768.281240446656/10153326716566657/?type=3&theater
However, that’s not all.
Further to this, a victim of a coward punch has also written to Mike Baird. Max Hardwick-Morris fell victim to a coward punch on Australia Day and has since been in hospital. He suffered a concussion and a broken fibular which required him to have surgery resulting in a plate and six screws going into his leg. According to Baird, violence is not only down, but the victims of this violence and the families of those victims are in favour of these laws. Hardwick-Morris says otherwise.
“I feel you’ve used the two unfortunate coward punches that resulted in deaths to further your political agenda,” Hardwick-Morris says, before going onto say that had Baird not made the Star Casino, and the new one coming in at Barangaroo, exempt from the laws, he may have had “mercy” on them, but now says the move “begs so many questions to be asked about your government’s agenda.”
From here, it’s open season. Hardwick-Morris goes in, saying, “The fact that you also ‘categorically’ lie to the public by forging statistics in favor of your policies and follow up by saying how Sydney has never been more ‘vibrant’ is disgusting.”
“You mustn’t have left your house past sunset in months within the confines of the CBD and surrounding areas as if you had you’d see it’s an absolute ghost town. It’s become an international joke.”
Shooting down all of Baird’s statistics he used in his statement, Hardwick-Morris counteracts them by using entrepreneur Matt Barrie’s report that decimated any review the NSW government had offered up, and instead shining a harsh spotlight on the reality of the future of Sydney’s nightlife. Discrepancies between the initial reports and areas looked at, and the consequent reviews of the laws have finally been revealed and it doesn’t look good.
Finally, Max pleads with Baird to see reason.
“Mr Baird, you’re killing Sydney’s economy, you’re killing small business, you’re killing Sydney’s music scene, you’re killing Sydney’s reputation, you’re killing the youth’s relationship with the government and you’re killing fun.
“Don’t bring your evangelical agenda and think you can play God by enforcing your beliefs on the rest of the state,” he writes. “I really hope you sit down and read these emails, the articles on the Internet, the memes mocking your policies, use an actual independent source to review the laws and above all else, listen to the review and don’t reject it before you read it like you already seem to be doing.”
“You shouldn’t be serving God as the Premier, you should be serving the state.”
You can check out Hardwick-Morris’ open letter here.
All in all, this week would not have been the best week of Baird’s political career, or even his life. He has copped a hell of a lot of flack, but it’s all of his own doing. It seems it is becoming commonplace to totally ignoring an uproar, just because it doesn’t fit your agenda. Even in Queensland, the debate wages on about their proposed lockout measures, which are even more drastic than that of Sydney. However, hardly anyone seems to actually be listening.
Coincidentally, Baird actually appeared on Nova this morning as well, and whilst he was presented with an articulate, well-constructed question asking why a curfew was the go-to response, and why it’s stuck, he continued to push his agenda and basically say that despite the pending review, it’s going to “take a lot” to change his mind.
Well, Mike Baird, you may not change your mind, but your constituents certainly are. Good luck* in the next election, you will certainly need it.
*We don’t actually wish him good luck. Quite the opposite in fact.
Image via Yahoo News