Liquor reforms too little too late

by John Moyle

The Minister for Racing, Paul Toole’s recently announced he would lift liquor licencing restrictions on new small venues offering live music, arts and culture in Kings Cross and the CBD from June 1. Sydney’s mainstream media missed the mark by offering unanimous praise for his decision.

In discussing the first significant change to the licensing freeze since 2014 Minister Toole said, “the change means the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority can consider new on-premises licence applications for dedicated live music venues as well as venues that host visual or performing arts or other cultural events.”

Mr Toole added “The Government is expecting a boom in low risk venues as a result.” The Government also raised the patron limit for low risk venues from 60 to 100 across the state and extended trading hours for small bars in Kings Cross and the CBD from midnight to 2am.

“We welcome this but over time we will see whether this will make any change or not,” Doug Grand, CEO and Coordinator, Kings Cross Licensing Accord Association said. Since 2016 the number of small bars in the Kings Cross and CBD has double to around 60 and have possibly reached a critical mass, along with other limiting factors.

“Part of the problem with small bars is that they cater to a more affluent clientele,” Doug Grand says.

Another problem facing small bars is that their size prevents them from offering little more than a solo balladeer in the corner, so it is unlikely that small bars will be responsible for an upswell in entertainment or the presentation of significant cultural events.

The City of Sydney has attempted to mitigate the dearth of entertainment venues in the Cross and the CBD by installing a Nightlife and Creative Sector Advisory Panel, but without viable venues their advice will be academic at best.

Another factor facing Kings Cross and the CBD is the lack of real support for the sector.

While Melbourne has dedicated $22 million over the next four years for the live music sector, NSW has come up with a paltry $1 million for the next 12 months and insists on continuing with a Parliamentary enquiry into entertainment, that to date has not addressed the elephant that is the lock-out laws.

That the City of Sydney, and in particular Lord Mayor Clover Moore, bemoans the lock-out laws and passes the buck to the State Government for upholding the laws, the fact that they exist at all lays squarely at her feet.

The first liquor licence freeze for Kings Cross and the CBD was in response to a proliferation of licenced premises and was implemented at the behest of none other than Clover Moore, who at the time crowed “This measure was introduced in 2009, by the Premier, in response to my calls for a moratorium on new liquor licences in areas of concentrated liquor outlets.”

In the same statement the lord mayor also said “I will ask Council to continue the existing freeze on new and expanded footway dining areas…” “The liquor freeze over a decade has stopped venues from progressing,” Doug Grand said.

“If venues continue to struggle to be profitable it is not good for the community and the premises.

General manager of the World Bar, Greg Turton said “The area currently has assault rates at an all-time low so measures that encourage business diversity and confidence are welcomed.”

None of the recent debates or changes to the liquor freeze are really doing anything to progress the cause of the larger venues and night clubs, which have had their freeze extended a further 12 months until June 1, 2019.

There are currently 30 clubs in Kings Cross and the CBD offering live music.