15,000 ‘fight for right to party’ in Sydney

Around 15,000 people have taken to the streets in Sydney, Australia to protest against the city’s strict alcohol restrictions.

Around 15,000 people are thought to have taken part in the protest on Sunday 21 February (Photo: Twitter/@Pekingduk)

Laws brought in by the state of New South Wales in 2014 banned the sale of shots and bottled alcohol after 10 pm in Sydney.

New customers are allowed into bars or nightclubs after 1:30 a.m, and no alcohol is served after 3 a.m in several of Sydney’s central areas.

But the laws have prompted a backlash from residents and businesses who say they are stifling Sydney’s “vibrant night-life”.

The “nanny-state” restrictions have led the closure of several of the city’s venues, and the Australasian Performing Rights Association said there has been a 40% drop in ticket-sale revenue for live music gigs since the laws were brought in, USA Today reports.

The #KeepSydneyOpen protest on Sunday (21 February) was organised by Tyson Koh, a DJ and music producer, who told the newspaper: “We are all standing together to say we can have a safe, vibrant culture after dark.”

“We trust Victorians to choose where and when to have a drink and we believe the solution to violence is to punish the violent and not everyone else. We don’t see any sense in creating the ghost town that Sydney has become,” Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said.

Politicians in the neighbouring state of Victoria, where Australia’s second biggest city Melbourne is located, have also heavily criticised the so-called “lock-out laws” in Sydney.

Jane Garrett, Victoria State minister for Liquor regulation, said: “We tried lockout laws and it didn’t work for Melbourne”.

“Unlike other cities, Melbourne has 24-hour public transport, a liquor freeze on big beer barns and inspectors out on the beat making sure licensees are doing the right thing.”

Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said Sydney was a “ghost town” as a result of the restrictions, continuing: “We trust Victorians to choose where and when to have a drink and we believe the solution to violence is to punish the violent and not everyone else.”

News of the protest comes after the owner of a Sydney bar criticised police who had allegedly warned him that his wine list was promoting “anti-social behaviour”.

The drinking restrictions were brought in after the deaths of two teenagers in separate attacks by drunk men in the city.

They have received the support from emergency services who have reported a noticeable drop in the number of severe injuries caused by alcohol-related violence.

Gordian Fulde, director of St. Vincent’s Hospital emergency department in Syndey, said there has been 25% decrease the past two years in seriously injured alcohol-related patients on weekends.

(Photo: Twitter/Nat Miller)