Looks like we’re hitting the streets again!

We applaud yesterday’s Callinan review for recommending the easing of Sydney’s lockout, cease of service and takeaway liquor sales. The review’s acknowledgement that live music is worth special considering is also to be commended. This is a tacit acknowledgement that either the laws went too far, we’ve outgrown their need, or both.

The suggestion, however, that a paltry thirty minutes will restore confidence in Sydney as a dynamic city is an insult to all the businesses and Sydneysiders who have weathered the restrictive regime of lockouts for far too long.

Thirty minutes will not bring punters back into the city, it will not save businesses on the brink from closure, it will not bring a sense of pride back to Sydney and nor will it impress the international eyes who are watching this saga unfold from afar.

Therefore we need to show the government that they need to make a more meaningful effort to free our city and its nightlife, while implementing the safe, smart solutions Sydney deserves. We will be holding a rally to stop the rot of Sydney’s night time economy on Sunday 9th October.

You’ve heard it before: we can do so much better than a curfew. We could improve transport, implement integrated urban planning reform, develop better police strategies, encourage more diverse and inclusive activities after-dark, devise anti-violence education and intervention campaigns, extend small-bar licenses and appoint a Night Mayor, or someone equally badass.

This is not about drinking, this is about creating a city that all of us want to live in, not just die in.

More details to come. Thanks for your support, spread the word and let’s Keep Sydney Open!