The City of Melbourne has announced plans for a Safety Summit to help combat street crime, violence and drunken behaviour - to take place within the next two weeks. The move has received support from key stakeholders including Premier John Brumby, Victoria Police and the Night Club Owners Forum. The Summit will also invite the Liquor Licensing Commission, ambulance and emergency services representatives.
"This is a complex issue, but Council believes that adopting a co-ordinated, multi-agency approach will provide us with the best opportunity for success" said Councillor Peter Clarke, who led the push for the Summit.
The Summit will discuss key initiatives including:
More Police asking the Victorian Government to fund and direct Victoria Police to increase its numbers by at least 25 effective officers during the peak periods of midnight to 5am in Fridays and Saturdays.
Create a steering committee with multiple stakeholders asking the Ministers for Police and Consumer Affairs to convene a steering committee with Council and the Melbourne Licensees Forum to develop an action plan, focussed on city safety and amenity.
Flat fare taxi zones asking the Victorian Taxi Directorate to examine the potential of flat fare zones for taxi services during the peak periods of midnight-to-5am on Fridays and Saturdays so as to prioritise the use of taxis at those times for patrons leaving the city.
Bringing forward implementation of existing policy asking the State Government to immediately fund the staffing of the proposed enforcement arm of LLV, currently promised for the 2009-10 financial year.
Source: City of Melbourne & The Shout.
Showing posts with label lockout. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lockout. Show all posts
12 September, 2008
Premier: Nightclubs "on notice"
Victorian Premier, John Brumby, has told liquor license holders they are being put on notice - and they should take more responsibility for alcohol-fuelled violence or face tougher regulations.
"Licence owners need to understand what it is that the Government is saying, and saying very clearly, and that is, we want you to take more responsibility," the Premier said to ABC News.
"You are the licence owner, you own the business and you are required to comply with the terms of your licence."
John Brumby said the Government will not hesitate to introduce more restrictions if club owners do not take more responsibility.
"It is against the law to serve people alcohol when they are clearly intoxicated. We have got tougher already and we will get tougher still with licence holders if they continue to breach the law."
Peter Iwaniuk, spokersperson of the Nightclub Owners Forum, said the spike in alcohol-related crime was the result of a lack of necessary infrastructure to cater for vast increases in demand for night time entertainment in the city.
The Shout reports Nightclub Owner's Association spokesperson, David Butten, had similar comments on Radio 3AW; "The amount of visitors has increased by 6 per cent each year [and] Melbourne’s population is increasing dramatically,” he said. "There’s some factors that people just don’t appreciate in terms of what’s happening with Melbourne’s dynamics."
Source: The Shout & ABC News
"Licence owners need to understand what it is that the Government is saying, and saying very clearly, and that is, we want you to take more responsibility," the Premier said to ABC News.
"You are the licence owner, you own the business and you are required to comply with the terms of your licence."
John Brumby said the Government will not hesitate to introduce more restrictions if club owners do not take more responsibility.
"It is against the law to serve people alcohol when they are clearly intoxicated. We have got tougher already and we will get tougher still with licence holders if they continue to breach the law."
Peter Iwaniuk, spokersperson of the Nightclub Owners Forum, said the spike in alcohol-related crime was the result of a lack of necessary infrastructure to cater for vast increases in demand for night time entertainment in the city.
The Shout reports Nightclub Owner's Association spokesperson, David Butten, had similar comments on Radio 3AW; "The amount of visitors has increased by 6 per cent each year [and] Melbourne’s population is increasing dramatically,” he said. "There’s some factors that people just don’t appreciate in terms of what’s happening with Melbourne’s dynamics."
Source: The Shout & ABC News
08 September, 2008
Man dead in QBH assault
Matthew McEvoy, a 25 year-old Cranbourne man, died yesterday in hospital after a violent encounter outside of the QBH nightclub in Southbank. It is alleged Mr. McEvoy became involved in an argument with another man in the smoking area of the nightclub about 2:30am and was punched in the head. Later, a second man is alleged to have kicked him in the head. Andryas Tello, 21, and 18-year-old Laurn Sakoof, both from Roxburgh Park, have been charged with intentionally causing serious injury and faced Melbourne Magistrate's Court today.
Gary Jamieson, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner, warned that alcohol-fueled violence in the CBD could get worse before it gets better. "That's always our concern, that we haven't hit rock bottom," Mr Jamieson said. He also added that "the licensees themselves have a lot to answer for in not supporting the (2am lockout) proposal."
This fatal attack was the second involving QBH in two years, following the death of Shannon McCormack, 22, in April 2007.
Ross Blair-Holt, chief operating officer of ALH Group which runs QBH, defended the club, saying the weekend fatality was "very tragic" and his staff had been left traumatised. "The view of management and security personnel is that the people involved were not intoxicated at the time... We did everything we could possibly do. We had the right number of security and we also had St John Ambulance on duty on the premises and the person assaulted was attended to 15 minutes quicker than had he waited for an ambulance." Mr. Blair-Holt went on to say "as for the wider problem, the key issue really is a lack of police presence in and around the city."
The Age is also reporting on a separate incident, where a man from Kealba was rushed to hospital after having his jugular slashed in an altercation at the Loft nightclub on Lonsdale Street.
Police are urging anyone who witnessed the assaults to come forward or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Sources: The Age, ABC News 1 & 2
Gary Jamieson, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner, warned that alcohol-fueled violence in the CBD could get worse before it gets better. "That's always our concern, that we haven't hit rock bottom," Mr Jamieson said. He also added that "the licensees themselves have a lot to answer for in not supporting the (2am lockout) proposal."
This fatal attack was the second involving QBH in two years, following the death of Shannon McCormack, 22, in April 2007.
Ross Blair-Holt, chief operating officer of ALH Group which runs QBH, defended the club, saying the weekend fatality was "very tragic" and his staff had been left traumatised. "The view of management and security personnel is that the people involved were not intoxicated at the time... We did everything we could possibly do. We had the right number of security and we also had St John Ambulance on duty on the premises and the person assaulted was attended to 15 minutes quicker than had he waited for an ambulance." Mr. Blair-Holt went on to say "as for the wider problem, the key issue really is a lack of police presence in and around the city."
The Age is also reporting on a separate incident, where a man from Kealba was rushed to hospital after having his jugular slashed in an altercation at the Loft nightclub on Lonsdale Street.
Police are urging anyone who witnessed the assaults to come forward or contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Sources: The Age, ABC News 1 & 2
05 September, 2008
2am Lockout Expired
The recent 2am lockout introduced in early May and active since June 3, ended on September 1.
Police response
Police Commissioner Christine Nixon has said the lockout had a limited success in Melbourne as many clubs were exempted from the trial. "We think it is part of a strategy. We will wait to see what the evidence is, but we think we are seeing some decline because of that 2:00am lock-out."
Government response
Premier John Brumby said "I think the evidence will show there have been some positive benefits and it'll also show that there have been some issues."
Opposition response
State Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said "John Brumby's lockout was a shambles. The implementation was a total failure, with so many exemptions that any lessons we might have learnt to help fight against record street violence were undermined."
Public response
A Herald Sun poll asking readers if the lockout had been successful had a majority against the lockout. 85% of the 1,500+ votes recorded a negative view on the lockout.
Going forward
Premier John Brumby said the Government would not make a decision on the lockout's future until it had reviewed all relevant information. "I have a completely open mind in the future as to whether we continue with a lockout, similar lockout, maybe a better targeted lockout, a broader lockout... or perhaps no lockout at all."
Source: ABC News, Herald Sun 1 & 2, The Age 1 & 2
Police response
Police Commissioner Christine Nixon has said the lockout had a limited success in Melbourne as many clubs were exempted from the trial. "We think it is part of a strategy. We will wait to see what the evidence is, but we think we are seeing some decline because of that 2:00am lock-out."
Government response
Premier John Brumby said "I think the evidence will show there have been some positive benefits and it'll also show that there have been some issues."
Opposition response
State Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said "John Brumby's lockout was a shambles. The implementation was a total failure, with so many exemptions that any lessons we might have learnt to help fight against record street violence were undermined."
Public response
A Herald Sun poll asking readers if the lockout had been successful had a majority against the lockout. 85% of the 1,500+ votes recorded a negative view on the lockout.
Going forward
Premier John Brumby said the Government would not make a decision on the lockout's future until it had reviewed all relevant information. "I have a completely open mind in the future as to whether we continue with a lockout, similar lockout, maybe a better targeted lockout, a broader lockout... or perhaps no lockout at all."
Source: ABC News, Herald Sun 1 & 2, The Age 1 & 2
05 August, 2008
Herald Sun: Lockout pushed back to 3am
The Herald Sun is running a story that the 2am lockout could be moved back an hour, to create a permanent 3am lockout across Victoria. Tony Robinson, Consumer Affairs Minister, is said to be considering the option while John Brumby, Premier, said no decision would be made ahead of an evaluation of the existing trial. The Herald Sun believes a 3am lockout is "backed by key sections of the liquor industry".Source: Herald Sun 1 & 2
Police powers increased
Friday onwards, Police will have the ability to ban people for 24 hours in the precincts of Fitzroy, St Kilda, Ballarat, Geelong and Warrnambool for being drunk and disorderly. For more serious offences Police can apply for a court-order banning individuals from an entertainment zone for up to a year. The move follows on from the successful testing in Melbourne's CBD and Prahran. People banned for 24 hours won't incur a criminal conviction and the infringement will be excluded from a criminal history check. Breaching a 24-hour ban carries a penalty of up to $2,202. The measures are intended to reduce alcohol-related crime, The Age believes this move could signal an end to the existing lockout measures.
Source: The Australian & The Age
22 June, 2008
05 June, 2008
Nixon upset over lockout exemptions
Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon has expressed her own concerns over the future of Melbourne's lockout after 112 late-night venues have been exempted from the plan to ban patrons from city nightclubs after 2am.
"These people who own these premises, I wish they hadn't have gone for these exemptions, I think that we should have given it a decent trial... We still have the trial and three quarters (of venues) will still be part of this, but I think they should have had more responsibility." Commissioner Nixon told Fairfax Radio.
Source: The Age 1 & 2
"These people who own these premises, I wish they hadn't have gone for these exemptions, I think that we should have given it a decent trial... We still have the trial and three quarters (of venues) will still be part of this, but I think they should have had more responsibility." Commissioner Nixon told Fairfax Radio.
Source: The Age 1 & 2
More than 100 exemptions and counting...
Following on from the May 30 victory, 117 clubs have applied to have an exemption from the "2am lockout" with 112 successful according to the Herald Sun. The Australia highlights this means one in five venues originally targeted are free to let people in after 2am.
Source: Herald Sun & The Australian.
Source: Herald Sun & The Australian.
Melbourne protest a "success"
Organisers for the protest against Melbourne's radical drinking laws have marked the movement a success. An estimated three to five thousand protesters marched to the steps of Parliament house on May 30, venting their anger against a 2am curfew.
Organisers have said they intend to keep up the fight. The crowd cheered when told by Brian Frewin from the Association of Liquor Licensees of Melbourne that a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) decision means 50 venues are exempt from the ban, with further exemptions expected to take place in the coming days.
Source: ABC & The Age. Photo courtesy of Sarah Jackson.
Organisers have said they intend to keep up the fight. The crowd cheered when told by Brian Frewin from the Association of Liquor Licensees of Melbourne that a Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) decision means 50 venues are exempt from the ban, with further exemptions expected to take place in the coming days.
Source: ABC & The Age. Photo courtesy of Sarah Jackson.
28 May, 2008
Protest against Melbourne's radical drinking laws this Friday
Billed by the promoters as "one of the largest protests in Generation Y’s history", a protest is planned at Parliament house this Friday the 30th of May at 5pm. Spurred on from the surprise trial law restricting access to a majority of venues from 2am, the protest plans to visually demonstrate those opposed to the plan.
Visit Melbourne Locked Out for more information.
(The picture is taken from the associated Facebook group.)
08 May, 2008
Logic locked out
In an opinion piece for the Herald Sun, Tim Wilson, a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Public Affairs in Melbourne, writes about the "dumb" decisions regarding a 2am lockout. He says the root causes of the problem are bar tenders serving alcohol to intoxicated patrons and inadequate police presence in the inner city at night. Click here to read the full article.
03 May, 2008
Radical alcohol laws introduced
Beginning June 3rd, people will not be allowed to enter licensed venues in the CBD after 2am. Existing patrons will be allowed to remain on licensed premises until 7am or the end of the venue's allocated liquor license - whichever is earlier. Further, no new liquor licenses will be approved for venues hoping to open after 1am.
Victorian Premier John Brumby says the binge-drinking problem justifies such a move when he announced these restrictions yesterday as part of a three month trial in inner-city pubs, clubs and bars. He also announced a $17.6 million Liquor Licensing Compliance Directorate to be established within the Department of Justice. “This directorate will be responsible for the inspection and enforcement of liquor license laws and will be staffed by 30 inspectors and six lawyers,” Mr Brumby said. It is believed the directorate will also employ underage patrons to test age restrictions at venues.
The move comes from implementations of late entry bans in Ballarat, Warrnambool and Bendigo were successful, according to the Government, seeing a reduction in alcohol-related crime.
The reaction from Police has been positive, with Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon embracing the moves. "We know the majority of alcohol related violence occurs on the streets as people move from venue to venue, not in the actual venues themselves," she said. According to the Herald Sun, VicHealth boss Todd Harper said the reforms were the most significant in decades.
Brian Kearney, from the Australian Hotels Association, tentatively supported the lockout, with the provision that lower-risk venues be excluded. The Director of Liquor Licensing has advised of some exemptions from the lockout, and that these will only be granted to restaurants, the Crown Casino floor and licensees with full club licenses such as RSLs.
The public reaction has been intense with newspaper websites getting hundreds of comments and several new groups and events on Facebook appearing including "OFFICIAL MELBOURNE 2AM LOCKOUT PETITION, sign up and send to everyone" and "I will party on Parliament House steps in protest against the 2am curfew". The latter tells members "by joining this group you pledge that If the 2am curfew comes into effect, you will leave the clubs, bars and pubs at 2am and protest on Parliament House steps every single friday night until the curfew is lifted." MelbournePubs.com has launched a website, 2amlockout.com, monitoring the discussion around this issue.
Source: Victorian Government, The Age 1, 2, 3 & Herald Sun.
Victorian Premier John Brumby says the binge-drinking problem justifies such a move when he announced these restrictions yesterday as part of a three month trial in inner-city pubs, clubs and bars. He also announced a $17.6 million Liquor Licensing Compliance Directorate to be established within the Department of Justice. “This directorate will be responsible for the inspection and enforcement of liquor license laws and will be staffed by 30 inspectors and six lawyers,” Mr Brumby said. It is believed the directorate will also employ underage patrons to test age restrictions at venues.
The move comes from implementations of late entry bans in Ballarat, Warrnambool and Bendigo were successful, according to the Government, seeing a reduction in alcohol-related crime.
The reaction from Police has been positive, with Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon embracing the moves. "We know the majority of alcohol related violence occurs on the streets as people move from venue to venue, not in the actual venues themselves," she said. According to the Herald Sun, VicHealth boss Todd Harper said the reforms were the most significant in decades.
Brian Kearney, from the Australian Hotels Association, tentatively supported the lockout, with the provision that lower-risk venues be excluded. The Director of Liquor Licensing has advised of some exemptions from the lockout, and that these will only be granted to restaurants, the Crown Casino floor and licensees with full club licenses such as RSLs.
The public reaction has been intense with newspaper websites getting hundreds of comments and several new groups and events on Facebook appearing including "OFFICIAL MELBOURNE 2AM LOCKOUT PETITION, sign up and send to everyone" and "I will party on Parliament House steps in protest against the 2am curfew". The latter tells members "by joining this group you pledge that If the 2am curfew comes into effect, you will leave the clubs, bars and pubs at 2am and protest on Parliament House steps every single friday night until the curfew is lifted." MelbournePubs.com has launched a website, 2amlockout.com, monitoring the discussion around this issue.
Source: Victorian Government, The Age 1, 2, 3 & Herald Sun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
