It’s been a very drab two-and-a-half years, but after what seems like an eternity of slowly decaying nightlife, it has been reported that the NSW Premier Mike Baird finally plans to make changes to the lockout/liquor laws.

During yesterday’s press conference where Baird announced the Greyhound ban was to be scrapped, he boldly said “I’m not going to sugar coat it, I got it wrong”. That you did, Mike.

But it looks like we’ve caught him in a remorseful mood, with reports that the Premier plans to push the sale of takeaway liquor back up to midnight across the state, as well as nudging the lockout for CBD nightspots to 2am and allowing live and entertainment venues to be open until 3:30am. Essentially, everything that was suggested in the Callinan Review.

Though it is a move in the right direction from the otherwise ignorant Premier, it is simply not enough.

Following the 10,000 strong turn-out of frustrated Sydney-siders over the weekend for the second Keep Sydney Open rally (check out our photos from the day here), these measly changes to the lockout and closing times are – and we’re not going to sugar coat it – crap. The issue is not resolved by this subtle relaxation of the timeframes, and the people of Sydney are not going to just walk away.

 

Tyson Koh, the man behind Keep Sydney Open, spoke with Music Feeds today on these potential changes, saying “pushing back the lockouts by half an hour will do little to help small businesses, the music scene or reinvigorate our dying inner-city precincts.

“Quite frankly, it’s an unacceptable result that shows how oblivious the Premier is to how cities and culture operate,” Mr Koh says.

“The night-time economy comprises more jobs and more revenue than greyhound racing, yet the concessions given there outweigh the ones given to lockouts. If the reports are true, then the Premier has just made his time in office much more difficult because our followers are growing and Keep Sydney Open isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

The opposition leader of NSW, Luke Foley, said it best when speaking on the greyhound ban. He referred to the ban as “collective punishment”, an unfair method of  that “punishes the good for the sins of the bad”. He went on the say that this is “not on in a democracy”. Well, we agree with that, Mr. Foley, however it is currently in play and has been since early 2014 and it needs to be scrapped, not just relaxed.

There has been no word from the Premier on the changes as of yet, only what has been reported by the Daily Telegraph. We will add to this article as it unfolds.

(Via News.com)