Though for a while there it looked as though there was a reason to hope against hope, Queensland is now set to move forward with the rollout of their own controversial late-night lockout laws and they’re even harsher than Sydney’s.
As The Huffington Post reports, the state government has finally managed to secure crossbench support for their lockout laws, which they first proposed last year, inspired by the Sydney laws which have decimated the city’s nightlife.
The state’s late-night laws will include 2am last drinks across most of the state by this July with 3am last drinks in certain entertainment precincts and 1am lockouts by July 2017 for 15 “Safe Night Precincts”, which includes the Fortitude Valley.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk had not managed to accrue sufficient support to pass the Tackling Alcohol-Fuelled Violence Legislation Amendment Bill 2015, but has now brought North Queensland MPs Shane Knuth and Robbie Katter of the Katter’s Australian Party on board.
The legislation is tabled as the first item on the agenda when parliament resumes for the year this week. Palaszczuk spoke on Tuesday about her commitment to enacting the laws, calling some of the state’s nightlife areas “war zones”.
“I’ve been to the hospitals, I’ve spoken to the paramedics who’ve been bashed, I’ve spoken to the police who are out there in the early hours of the morning basically in war zone situations,” she told 612 ABC Brisbane.
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“There is evidence to suggest that measures employed since 2008 in Newcastle, and subsequently extended to certain other areas of New South Wales, such as Kings Cross in Sydney, have been successful in reducing alcohol-related harm,” a release about the laws reads.
“These measures include a reduction in liquor trading hours, an earlier lock out, and limits on certain types of alcoholic drinks after midnight.” Not included are the numbers indicating the massive dip in late-night business as a result of the laws.
However, in a joint statement, Member for Stafford Dr Anthony Lynham said he supports the measures as “This will mean less families grieving for a very small adjustment in our night-time economy.”
Oh, and casinos are exempt, because obviously.
