​Lockout Laws Are About to Become a Thing in Queensland

Despite the massive backlash against the New South Wales lockout, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is pushing ahead with imposing similar controversial laws in her state.

After reaching a deal this morning with Katter's Australian Party, Premier Palaszczuk says she is confident the Tackling Alcohol-fuelled Violence Legislation Amendment Bill will pass. As her minority government doesn't hold enough seats in parliament to pass the laws alone, Palaszczuk has been forced to concede a lot of ground to Katter's MPs—including a promise to focus on unemployment and investment issues in their electorates.

If the laws pass, a 2 AM last drinks call will be imposed statewide from 1 July this year. Venues within specified "nightclub precincts" will be able to serve drinks until 3 AM. In February next year the lockout will come into effect, meaning no entry into venues after 1 AM. The laws will also allow for bans of both high consumption drinks (i.e. shots) after midnight, and convicted drug offenders from nightclub precincts.

Queensland Opposition leader Lawrence Springborg has been a vocal critic of the lockout laws, telling the Brisbane Times, "This lockout proposal will directly hit the small businesses that are the lifeblood of this city's night-time economy, not to mention the hundreds of people employed in the industry."

The moment I shared the good news with — Yvette D'Ath (@YvetteDAth)February 16, 2016

I remember when they brought in the initial lockout laws in QLD the mid-2000s. It was chaos. Literal brawling in the streets.

— Sophie Benjamin (@sophbenj)February 17, 2016

In recent weeks, NSW Premier Mike Baird has become the focus of renewed backlash against that state's lockout laws, which have decimated nightlife in Sydney. In the once infamous King Cross late night foot traffic has fallen by 84 percent—pushing clubs, bars and, strip joints in the area to close and make way for lucrative residential development.

VICE writer Hal Mazzitello recently spent a night on the streets of Sydney talking to young people impacted by the lockouts. "No one would defend violence of course, but then no one felt lockouts were the answer," he wrote. "#CasinoMike is trending hard for all the wrong reasons and the anger is palpable."

Hitting back at his critics, Baird posted a lengthy Facebook post citing research that assaults have dropped 42.4 percent since the lockout laws came into effect. However, there have been more than 12,000 comments since then, many countering the Premier's statistics.

"Your cherry picked facts do not represent the situation truthfully," one reads. "While assaults may be down 40 per cent in Kings Cross, there has been an even bigger decline in total foot traffic—which means proportionally the area may be worse than ever."

Earlier this week Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews promised not to introduce a similar lockout in Melbourne, saying it would damage the city.

Lockout laws? Nope. — Daniel Andrews (@DanielAndrewsMP)February 15, 2016