Most Melbournians would agree that the best thing about their city is the vibrant nightlife and the characteristic culture that takes place after dark. Well, it seems not all people agree…
Once again, Melbourne’s live music scene is under attack. Not from an invading force, nor a killer influenza, but another politician wanting to ‘revolutionise’ with radical transformations and ‘precautions’. Enter John Elliot
In case you’ve been living under a rock, the mayoral candidate of Melbourne has forcefully announced his concern over the safety of Melburnians, demanding changes be made to fix our perceived problematic and violent streets.
The former Carlton Football Club president and head of Carlton United Breweries has set his sights on burdening Melbourne’s vibrant nightlife, with the intention of restoring order after hours.
The vocal politician has called for a 1am curfew for all Melbourne CBD-based venues, preventing patrons from entering the cities 450+ bars- not only nightclubs, but venues which have proven track records of little to no violent incidents – including many iconic live music venues after 1am.
Once again, live music venues are taking a beating at the hands of radical new changes, being pushed by newcomers to the city’s local government.
Mr Elliott’s proposal comes as New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell leads a crackdown of Sydney’s licensed venues and new restrictions on trading, including mandatory ID scanning and the use of sniffer dogs on the streets of Sydney after-hours.
Sydney’s knee-jerk response to street violence appears to be another example of politicians looking for a quick fix to deeper issues nation-wide. Meanwhile, the SA Government’s response to problems with late-night culture in Adelaide has resulted in liquor and licensing changes being made without first addressing the inherently ridiculous laws that are systemic to their city’s policies. For instance The Elephant, near Cinema Place, has a special clause which states that any live entertainment provided on the licensed premises shall be appropriate to and compatible with the operation of a themed Irish Bar or British Pub.
Even more outrageous, CIBO Espresso’s licence prohibits any blues, heavy metal or grunge bands from playing there; while at Purplez they’re prohibited from having live entertainment on a Monday and Tuesday and on a Wednesday performances are limited to solos and duets.
The insinuation of a 1am curfew on Melbourne venues could have a far-reaching ripple effect. 2amlockout.com.au has received a backlog of comments from concerned members of the public, agreeing that It is almost certain that venue owners will see a decrease in revenue as a result, but also, and some would argue more importantly, those who rely on venues to provide them with part-time or casual employment will feel the pinch of a potential cutback in hours.
Smaller boutique venues are now nervously awaiting their fate. With the reduced numbers of attendees, a result of the early lockout, smaller venues will not be able to continue the flow of patrons per night. Unlike larger venues, smaller venues have a lower chance of keeping patrons inside for an extended period; often the result of having a less-established live music presence.
These changes are set to deter people from attending smaller venues in exchange for larger more established hot spots of a night. Again, the little guys are being forced into an uphill battle against radical policy. A report conducted by The Allen Consulting Group, established a direct link between licensed premises and alcohol-related harm.
However, this association is not consistent across all licensed premises. Violent incidents are more likely to occur in areas with a higher concentration of people, rather than areas containing a small number of patrons. However no consideration is given to venues with proven non-violent histories. Once again, the little guys are being punished due to other areas of the city neglecting safe practices.
Mr Elliot’s new proposal however, isn’t as revolutionary as it may seem. It does beg the question of whether he’s breaking the centuries-old rule – “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’?
In 2008, Melbourne’s nightlife was also held hostage under a lockout ruling, which saw venues shut their doors to crowds at 2am. Unlike Mr Elliot’s curfew proposal, the lockout simply closed doors to patrons, rather than forbidding patrons from occupying the streets.
The trial for this 2008 lockout was heavily criticized by not only music lovers (who conducted several protests and demonstrations prior to, and during the trial period for the notable SLAM rally), but also those who were left with the task of enforcing the ruling.
During this two month period, an additional 150 police were required to enforce the judgment, stretching resources to breaking point across the CBD.
Surprisingly, members of Melbourne’s law enforcement were sceptical that the 2008 trial would see favourable results. The police union questioned the plans; saying “only more police on the beat can tackle spiralling alcohol fuelled violence”.
In report from The Age in 2008, Police Association Secretary Paul Mullett said 150 extra patrolling officers were needed in the city centre and only boosted foot patrols could restore order. “It is visible policing that will prevent and control anti-social behaviour, public drunkenness and street-related assaults and crime,” Snr Sgt Mullett said. “We’re not going to be overly critical of a 2am curfew but, from a policing perspective, if you’re providing those core policing services and if 150 (police) were provided today we’d question whether the 2am lockout was needed.”
If this stance from the police wasn’t enough to convince you that the lockout was a waste of time and resources, ABC reporter Josie Taylor, in an interview with Carlo Colosimo, Association Of Liquor Licensee, discussed the loopholes in the lockout.
“The Victorian Government hoped the lockout would help reduce the number of bashings around Melbourne’s nightclub precincts, but almost as soon as the trial began, more than 100 venues were granted exemptions after fighting the lockout in the Victorian courts” said Taylor.
She later added “Licences say they’re being punished unfairly”- a stance which is no doubt shared by the majority of Melbournian venues owners.
In fact, it was reported that violent crime was up during the lockout trial period and that there had been an increase in reported assaults between the hours of midnight and 2am when compared to the corresponding period in 2007, and a small increase compared to the lead-in period.
KPMG’s findings also stated that an increase in assault related ambulance transports between 8pm and midnight occurred; compared to the three months prior to the temporary lockout. The number of reported assaults between the midnight and 1:59am grew from 144 in 2007, to 168 in the lockout period in 2008.
Venue owners were also surveyed in regards to the financial effect the lockout had on their business in 2008.
The survey asked ‘Compared to the previous three months (i.e. 2 March 2008 to 2 June 2008), did your venue experience a change in overall revenue during the Temporary Lockout?’ Not surprisingly, 63.3% said their revenue decreased with a mere 6.3% saying they had increases in revenue this period.
Additionally, 15.2% claimed to have no change in revenue whilst the remaining 15.2% were unable to assess the trial.
So, with this condemnation from the city’s police force and media professionals and certified statisticians on the previous lockout trial, why are Elliott and his like-minded pollies insistent on yet again turning back the clock and imposing such a detrimental policy on those who contribute to Melbourne’s booming nightlife?
Has Melbourne’s marquee attraction, its diverse and colourful live music scene, not already suffered enough damage as a result of drastic policy changes?
Marc Beyers, owner of Revellers’ Bar, Prahan, was deeply concerned at the prospects of the 2008 lockout. “I am very worried about the future of my business with the introduction of the 2am lockout. A bar my size (120 people), and with the hours that we operate (9pm till 6am), would be devistated by such a lockout”. This feeling is shared by many other venue owners, once again, being placed at the peril of shutting their doors early of a night.
It’s not just venues feeling the pinch… those who work late hours or perform live music will be out of options when it comes to heading out, with the 1am closure prematurely ending their night out before it has even started.
For many, late weekends are the only chance for a social time-out, with work draining most of the weekly leisure time. For example, those who work shifts of a night on the door will now have shifts conclude at 1am, rather than 3am or later. Whilst this cut back of a few hours may not seem significant upon first glance, those who rely on work 4 or 5 days a week have the potential to see upwards of 12 hours a week lost due to the lockout proposal.
Again, patrons and licensees were surveyed on the availability of transport between the hours of 2am and 6am. The verdict was overwhelming with 76% of those surveyed saying that transport was inadequate, with a miniscule 4% agreeing that enough transport was available during the early hours of the morning.
However, recent changes to taxi services within the CBD have seen proposals for more cabs to be available, and more importantly, more affordable for late night travellers. This concept has been aimed to provide those who are opting for an early exit-however- if Mr Elliott’s proposed curfew did manage to make it through, it would place even more strain on an already overwhelmed public transport system.
In the past 10 years we have seen a multitude of venues, including popular live music venues, targeted policy changes such as liquor licensing restrictions, capacity caps and, as we all know, lockout trials.
The constant revision of ‘rules’ has worn many venues to the brink of closure, such as iconic Collingwood venue, The Tote, which was targeted by harsh licensing regulations. For some, this new proposal may be the final nail in the coffin.
Venue owners were left scratching their heads on how to now run their business, as the 2008 lockout heavily dented their revenue streams.
Melbournians are once again left disappointed at the prospect of having their weekends cut short by lockouts is the lack of consideration shown by policy pushers.
The people who repeatedly venture out to have a good time of a weekend are being held prisoner by a minority of trouble-makers. Instead of investing time and research into the cause of violent incidents, the powers to be are more than happy to opt for the hurried option. Most would feel that the problem lies much deeper than venues keeping their doors open later.
If the 2010 SLAM (Save Live Australian Music) rally- a protest against the Victorian Government’s misguided policies over live music, which turned out over 20,000 protesters- is anything to go by, this scheme will be met head on with the full force of Melbourne’s faithful music-lovers.
