In a landmark legal case several venues in the CBD will be allowed to operate to pre-existing lockout laws after the Supreme Court found the Justice Department lacked the authority to force the closure of such establishments at certain times, according to 9news.

The case, brought about by the Smoking Panda Bar in the CBD originally owed it’s exemption to the lockout laws (recently dropped for the Olympics, because sports) to it’s presence within the Coronation Hotel and being able to service guests.

After an investigation by the OLGR (booooo) found the bar serving non-guests and cancelled their license.

In a turn of events the Supreme Court found that the ‘tourism and accommodation areas’ law that allowed some venues like the Smoking Panda Bar as well as 7 other venues in the CBD to operate past the 1:30am lockout and 3:00am closure were not detailed enough, and thus any following clauses and laws nullified.

Jude Adams said; “Nothing in the correspondence indicates that there was any condition stipulated by either police or the OLGR that the bar could only permissibly service residents of the hotel’s accommodation facilities,”

Adding; “It was common ground that if the power conferred upon the Secretary in those sub-clauses could not be found in…the Act, then they were made without power and are hence invalid,”

The case which follows Canberra opting out of their own lockout laws, deals a heavy blow to the State Liberal Governments archaic lockout laws that were introduced in 2014 that have decimated Sydney’s nightlife.

As it stands the lockout laws continue to apply to other venues until the Callinan independent review is handed down this month and the State Government chooses to enact any changes hinted at by NSW Premiere Tony Grant.

In the mean time have a read of City of Sydney Mayor Clover Moore’s smackdown of the Lockout Laws and see why actor Sam Neil thinks we need to squash them.

Let’s see what Mike Baird has to say about this…