It doesn’t look like the Sydney lockout laws are going anywhere and even if they did (let’s face it, they’re not), it looks as though the bulk of the damage is already done.
However, there could just be a glimmer of hope for mitigating and controlling the spread of that damage. If all goes well, maybe we can all get out of this with a venue or two still intact.
As the Sydney Morning Herald reports, members of the NSW government will sit down with members of the Keep Sydney Open movement as part of the government’s “night-time economy roundtable”.
Sensing they probably screwed the pooch with this whole killing Sydney’s nightlife thing, the government have invited the activists behind the recent anti-lockouts rally to their box social.
“Everyone wants a safe and vibrant night-time Sydney economy,” said NSW Deputy Premier and Minister for Justice and Police Troy Grant. “This is an exciting chance to work together.”
According to Fairfax, the roundtable will also include representatives from Uber, “medical professionals, the hotel lobby, live music industry, youth organisations, and various government agencies”.
The first meeting of the roundtable will be convened on 31st March with a list of actions to be drafted during two later meetings in April. The results will be handed to former High Court Justice Ian Callinan to include in his independent review of the lockouts.
According to data collected by APRA-AMCOS, the Australian royalties collection body, ticket sales by live performance venues in the Sydney CBD have declined by 40 percent since the lockouts.
This, coupled with an 80 percent drop in foot traffic in lockout-affected areas, has resulted in the closure of 42 venues, bars, cafes, nightclubs, and restaurants. Gig attendance overall is down 19 percent.
