The plan to hike up nightclub fees after 3am has been knocked back by ACT government.
What was dubbed the “lockout law in disguise” was discussed in cabinet on Tuesday, where the conclusion that it would NOT be passed into law was reached. Canberra kids, you can relax once again.
The balance-of-power MLA and cabinet minister Shane Rattenbury said he would not support a plan that would deprive Canberra’s thriving nightlife and entertainment scene.
“The Greens think there are a lot of other measures that we can put in place to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence that don’t involve shutting the city down,” Mr Rattenbury explained.
“I’ve indicated my view to the Labor party over the last few weeks… Cabinet had a discussion about this. It’s a big debate, there’s a lot of elements to it. The outcome is that we’re not going to go ahead with the legislation at this time.”
Despite the good news, Canberra nightlife is not totally out of the woods yet. Chief Minister Andrew Barr admits government are still looking at alternatives for liquor reform, but any changes now would not be considered until after the upcoming election in late 2016.
“After careful consideration of options in the Liquor White Paper and taking into account the broad range of community views, the government has determined to rule out making changes to rules around last drinks or closing times,” Mr Barr said.
“The government will continue to work with vendors, patrons and police to keep Canberra safe.”
For any ACT heads out there, Keep Canberra Open will be rallying against liquor reform and lockouts this Saturday, July 30, at Garema Place from midday. Find out more here, We urge you all to head along!
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