More than 15,000 protesters took to the streets last Saturday in Sydney, Australia, in a bid to rally against recently imposed nightlife laws in the city.
The march across Sydney’s city center was organized by the group Keep Sydney Open, and eventually became a street rave as day turned into night. Protesters were rallying against lockout laws introduced in 2014 by the New South Wales government, which prohibits people from entering licensed venues in Sydney’s Central Business District after 1:30am and being served alcohol after 3am.
The laws have become controversial because local eateries and other businesses have been forced to shut down due to losing out on a sizable amount of profit. Others have objected to the law not applying to the Star casino, which is located in the CBD.
“Today was democracy in process,” said Tyson Koh of Keep Sydney Open to Mashable Australia. “It was a peaceful demonstration, full of color and culture, full of what makes our city great.”
The company that owns Star casino, Star Entertainment Group, spoke out and said they should not be included in the lockout laws because they’re an international tourism attraction. The company’s chief executive, Matt Bekier, also insisted they haven’t benefited from them because only 3% of their revenue comes from alcohol sales, and that they’ve added more security cameras and digital cameras since the laws were passed in order to keep patrons safe.
The lockout laws have provided some benefits for the city, though. An April 2015 report showed that assaults throughout the CBD had dropped by 40% since they were implemented. However, it wasn’t clear whether the reduction in assaults was due to less alcohol consumption or fewer people going out in the CBD as a result of the laws.
And despite the mass protest, some Australians appear to want heavier alcohol restrictions. Last May, The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education (FARE) reported that 80% of the 1,843 adults they surveyed felt pubs, clubs and bars should close by 3 am, while over half felt that the government wasn’t doing enough to reduce alcohol-related harms. In addition, 59% believed Australian minors under the legal drinking age were being targeted for advertising by the industry.