Deakin University Professor Peter Miller wants to put lockout laws back on the table in Victoria after conducting a secret study on Melbourne’s nightlife.
As ABC News reports, while Miller’s proposal does not actually include locking out patrons from bars and clubs, he has called for a last-drink scheme which would see no more alcohol served after 3am.
According to Miller, patrons experience an “11 per cent increase in intoxication for every hour after midnight”. But despite the findings, Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews will not consider lockout laws or licensing restrictions.
“We certainly don’t need to be doing what Sydney’s done which is smash their nightlife and cost jobs and hurt the economy,” the premier told News Corp earlier this week.
The Premier has come out numerous times denying any chance of lockout laws in Melbourne. “Lockout laws? Nope,” the Premier tweeted back in February.
Andrews acknowledged in a press conference in February that while alcohol related violence has not gone away, Melbourne is a much safer city than it was in 2008 – when the original lockout laws were trialled.
Speaking to theMusic, Jon Perry, owner of iconic music venue The Tote said there was no need for “radical change” to Melbourne’s liquor laws.
Melbourne’s late-night economy employs 3,000 people and is valued at upwards of $655 million a year. It’s no surprise then that the Andrews-led Labor Government will try hard to protect an industry with such a large employment sector.
The Baird Government in New South Wales, however, has seen venues close their doors permanently due to the state’s harsh lockout laws. With Queensland now introducing new lockout laws, let’s hope Daniel Andrews sticks to his word and maintains Melbourne’s reputation as the Music Capital of Australia.
