SYDNEY BAN ON NEW LICENSES EXTENDED TO 2017
No new pubs or clubs will open for yet another year...
The New South Wales Government has decided to extend their ban on new pub and club licences in Kings Cross and Sydney's CBD until February 2017.
The freeze on licences came into place in February 2014 as part of Statewide lockout laws in NSW — an initiative implemented to decrease violence and antisocial behaviour following two alcohol-related deaths in Sydney's city centre.
This month, the NSW Government begins a review of the much-opposed laws, that currently forbid licensed venues from accepting any new customers after 1:30am and serving alcohol after 3am.
Talking to the Sunday Morning Herald, NSW Justice Minister Troy Grant, said: “We want [...] to have certainty and confidence that nothing will change while we conduct this major review.
“Once the review is complete the government will have a firmly stated position about the future of lockouts,” Grant concluded.
Since the introduction of the lockout laws in early 2014, multiple Sydney venues have been forced to close their doors, including once-popular nightspot Hugo's Lounge, with more closures imminent over the next 12 months.
There’s also little proof that the laws are having a positive impact on crime in the area. Information collected by Australian news channel SBS has shown that incidents of violence have decreased only in surrounding areas that aren’t affected by the ban. You can check out the stats here.
[Via Sunday Morning Herald]
