Second curfew may be scrapped
Just one week into the new lock-out system, Surry Hills licensees are looking for ways to drop the second 6am-9am curfew.
Sydney Star Observer has learned that Thursday night’s Surry Hills Liquor Accord meeting will discuss ways to ditch the second lock-out on the grounds it is a verbal agreement between Surry Hills Police and Accord members.
SSO also learned Surry Hills Police are considering asking Oxford St bouncers to wear colour-coded uniforms to help improve safety along the nightclub strip.
Scrapping the 6-9am lock-out would not change the NSW Government’s 2-5am lock-out, which took effect at four Oxford St gay venues last weekend -” Arq, Stonewall, Phoenix and the Oxford Hotel.
Arq owner Shadd Danesi said scrapping the second lock-out is an unavoidable business decision.
When we all agreed to the 6-9am lock-out it was done on a voluntary basis and it was done with goodwill to work with local police and the community, because we are all concerned about violence on Oxford St. But at that point in time it was a different world, he told SSO.
We had no idea about the 2-5am lock-out that was going to be imposed. I have a business to run, staff to pay and financial commitments, so I won’t be going with the 6-9am.
I will still work with the community and with the police. It’s just a financial decision and the 2-5am has made it necessary.
Stonewall owner and Liquor Accord chairman Craig Bell said his venue would continue to abide by the lock-out hours, but was aware that it would be a major point of discussion on Thursday.
There’s rumours going around left, right and centre at the moment, so we’re going to have a get-together on Thursday and vote on what we’re doing on all of that. But on behalf of Stonewall we don’t have any objections to the 6-9am lock-out, he said.
Have your say: Should the 6-9am lock-out be scrapped?
Sadly, if you put all Gay venues on the one street. That is what you get. It wouldve been smart to have a Gay Bar in Each Inner City Suburb.
Itll take people a while to get used to the Lock out System. In the long term it may be a positive thing.
Lock outs may not fix everything, but until we have publicans who actually bother to stop serving drunks at least it will be a step in the right direction…
There would have to be something wrong with your life to be still out between 6am and 9am.
I think my advice would be “to get a life.
Tim, How does a lock out “drive everyone onto the streets simultaneously”. It’s not a “Chuck out”. People just need to stay in the venue they are in until they are ready to go home. Once they leave the venue – GO HOME! We’ve had it with bar hopping party goers who don’t know when enough is enough.
You will never be able to eliminate violence, its within our natural animal instincts to be territorial, that’s why the only way to eliminate these types of problems is to create a surgical procedure which blocks our sense of aggression or any feeling of “aggressiveness” that way not only would it be vital for Oxford st, but it will aid the rest of the world as well as there would be an end to war/fighting in general.
As any vendor (or even business studies student would know) a verbal agreement is a fully valid contract
If these businesses were to break this contract, they will show that they cannot be trusted in the future
We have heard regular stories this year of bouncers not coming to the assistance of people who were attacked outside their clubs. Bars and Clubs should have taken the lead when they had the chance to earlier – as now the Government has regulated them.
That is what one of my senior managers says – I work in insurance and she says that we must treat those who have accidents and make claims in even more considerate and compassionate ways – not only does this help people recover from their injuries sooner and better, but otherwise the Government will regulate our activities even further, and more heavily, perhaps in ways we would not have liked or cannot afford. By acting first, it allows us to shape and mould the direction of reform into ways we prefer and can manage into our business models.
You missed your opportunity bars and clubs to take the lead on this
Good on you for having your bouncers wear bright colours for visibility – think of what other things you can do – for example have first aid kits close by to your doors to offer assistance to those who are injured nearby to your clubs and make sure your bounces have first aid training – you may say that delivering first aid is not the responsibility of bouncers, and you would be right, but you are not listening to what I wrote earlier – you have an opportunity to SHAPE the reform if you LEAD the reforms – if you are behind the game and waiting for others to act because you think it is not your role to contribute to a safer Oxford Street, then government will step in and regulate the scene for you
This issue will never be solved so long as we continue to ignore the culture of violence in this country.
Alcohol may loosen a person’s inhibitions or give them dutch courage, but it doesn’t provide the motivation or rationale for that violence that needs to exist there first.
A large chunk of Australian society still sees punch ups as an acceptable way of settling disputes (the old “take it outside” mentality), while on field violence in contact sports that could get you banged up for years if you copied it on the streets is actively celebrated as entertainment despite being against the rules of those sports codes.
Add to that the poisonous gang bashing thug mentality that has come to us through American hip-hop culture (and I say that as a fan of hip-hop music) and you get a problem which is seething through this country.
People hit people because they think its the right response to the situation at the time. They may know it’s illegal but they believe they have a natural right to lash out all the same.
Unfortunately, solving this problem would require putting sports fans off side and challenging the culture of bullying adversarial hypermasculinity that remains strong in many segments of Australian society- and Government simply doesn’t have the balls for it.
Congratulations to Stonewall for their intentions to adhere to the agreed lockouts. Sydney’s nightlife is in a terrible state and I agree it is because of this newfound all night binge drinking culture. There are just way too many licensed premises and food outlets open until all hours of the morning. The freedom these venues and their patrons currently experience have not led us to a good place. The streets of Sydney are a disgrace on weekends after dark. Hence the need to introduce restrictions. I don’t believe a lockout will force everyone out onto the streets as some have suggested. A large number of patrons will stay inside their chosen venues during these periods, possibly leading to less crowding on the streets
Between 6am and 9am? Who Parties and Drinks at that time of morning?
I agree with you totally TimC!!!
Why should a few irresponsible drinkers ruin it for the rest of us?
If people wish to enjoy themselves in a reasonable manner at times beyond midnight then their liberty should not be withheld due to the recklessness of the minority.
These kind of impetuous decisions will drive everyone onto the streets simultaneously, thus encouraging confrontation and insubordination.
If you can’t get pissed by midnight, you’re not really trying … :)
Its time to scrap 24hr trading.It was only meant to be brought in for the Olympics in 2000 and after 2000 only for major holidays or events with approval.
Now the 24 hr booze culture is startng to kill and injure too many people.
Bring back Most Pubs close 12midnight reopen 11am
Other registered pubs in designated locations(eg CBD) 2am reopen 11am
Night clubs 9pm until 4am
Thats it over and out no exceptions.
I want all the lock outs scrapped entirely as like many I don’t believe this is the answer to stop alcoholic violence.
If gay venues have only had a verbal agreement with police then the 6am-9am lockout should now be SCRAPPED considering the 2:00am-5:00am lockout laws!
Many people have said this and I reiterate what they have said; instead of these idiotic lock-outs lets put more police on the street especially in known trouble spots, manage problem clubs more closely, turn Oxford Street back into a -œgay village ie not allow licences for any more straight venues.