Comment: Why there'll be no morning-after regrets when Sydney eases lockout laws, writes jessaroo
What will Sydney be like the morning after the lockouts are lifted? The Premier’s announcement on Thursday that lockout restrictions will be repealed everywhere but Kings Cross from January 14 was welcome and long overdue. Nearly six years of lockouts cost our economy $16 billion a year in lost revenue and tarnished our reputation as a fun, global city.
But a lot has changed in those six years: our city’s night-time future won’t look like our past. Rates of problem drinking among young Australians have continued to fall. Ridesharing apps have changed the way we get around, and helped solve one of the problems that contributed to conflicts – getting large numbers of people out of the city in the early hours.
We’re giving bonus hours to venues that program performances such as drag, comedy, music and theatre, and we’ve provided more than $1 million in grants over two years to support new programming. These changes are giving people more options for things to do at night besides drinking, creating a friendlier, livelier night-time streetscape.
We know this will work because it’s happened before. In 2010, the Victorian government introduced punitive licensing restrictions to address alcohol-fuelled violence that had a disastrous impact on the city’s music scene. Thanks to the efforts of Save Live Australian Music, the government rolled those restrictions back and got behind supporting and promoting live music. Now, Melbourne has a music scene that’s the envy of the world.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Why Australia's growing number of migrant care workers need more supportAustralia will need to nearly triple its current aged care workforce by 2050 to keep up with demand, but some in the sector say bringing in overseas workers with temporary visa statuses can make them more vulnerable.
Read more »
Talking through the generations: Why Australia is known as a 'graveyard of languages'Migrant languages tend to disappear by the third generation. It's an alarming trend — and one these people are fighting.
Read more »
Talking through the generations: Why Australia is known as a 'graveyard of languages'Migrant languages tend to disappear by the third generation. It's an alarming trend — and one these people are fighting.
Read more »
Man, 21, has critical head injuries after being punched on Gold CoastA 21-year-old man has suffered life-threatening injuries after being punched during a fight in Broadbeach early this morning.
Read more »
Why Australia's growing number of migrant care workers need more supportAustralia will need to nearly triple its current aged care workforce by 2050 to keep up with demand, but some in the sector say bringing in overseas workers with temporary visa statuses can make them more vulnerable.
Read more »
Adut Akech Bior: 'Whoever doesn’t see it as racist has a problem'Benjamin Law speaks with model Adut Akech Bior about growing up in a refugee camp, the hard work behind modelling and the insulting moment no Australian should find acceptable
Read more »