Photo by Ashley Mar //
It’s no secret that Sydney’s nightlife just hasn’t been the same since lockout laws were introduced back in 2014, but the real extent of the damage has been highlighted in a new report.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the losses have been dramatic: “Figures from Liquor & Gaming NSW show 418 licensed premises had closed in the Sydney CBD and Kings Cross since 2014, while 242 small bar and on premises licenses were granted.”
This amounts to a net loss of 176 venues across the central region of Sydney, including the closure of Backroom, The Bourbon and Trademark, while other venues have taken on new business models that steer away from late-night trade. Worryingly, this gives emerging musicians and creatives little space to move when it comes to performing and honing their craft in their own backyard.
Darcy Byrne, the mayor of the Inner West council, goes on to state that venues in the area are also closing at a faster rate. “In practice, the deadly troika of councils, the liquor regulator and the licensing police are combining to form a tacit fun police force which is killing our live music scene,” Byrne says.
City of Sydney councillor Jess Scully also says that jobs in live music are decreasing as jobs in gambling are on their way up. “They’ve made the easiest, most viable option for venue owners [is] just to chuck some pokies in there… That has a damaging social effect that goes well beyond the impact on the creative economy.”
You can read the full report in its very sad entirity right here.
