New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian has reportedly announced a monumental about-turn on Sydney’s controversial 1:30am curfew introduced in 2014. As many as 176 venues and hospitality businesses have shut as a result of the laws.
However, while the regulations will be loosened in the city’s CBD, formerly infamous nightlife hotspot King’s Cross will reportedly remain restricted by the laws.
The Keep Sydney Open political party, which started as a grassroots protest movement against the then-Baird government’s lockout laws, has warmly welcomed the move.
The state’s premier, Gladys Berejiklian, announced on Sunday (Sept 8) that the lockout laws — which were introduced in 2014 amid a spate of alleged violent alcohol-fuelled crimes — will be relaxed in Sydney’s central business district in order to boost the city’s night time economy, according to multiple news outlets including the ABC and The Sydney Morning Herald.
“It’s time to enhance Sydney’s night-life,” Berejiklian reportedly said. “Sydney is Australia’s only global city and we need our night-life to reflect that.”
However, while a relaxation of the draconian laws is on the cards for the CBD, other entertainment precincts like King’s Cross and Oxford Street may still be subject to the lockout rules, the ABC has reported.
While questions remain and little detail has officially been released by the government, the Keep Sydney Open political party — which failed to win a seat at the 2019 NSW state elections but has become an influential movement representing the city’s youth and hospitality industry — has warmly welcomed the apparent backdown.
