Expert Says Earlier Lockouts Not The Solution For Stopping Late-Night Violence

Earlier this month, we reported on the new Queensland Labor government's publicly renewed commitment to implementing harsher lockout laws, with their proposed plan to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence calling for the state's existing 3am lockout time to be rolled back to 1am, among several other strict changes. 

That commitment has now extended beyond mere rhetoric to outright confirmation that the changes will be going ahead, according to a new report by Fairfax — which means the earlier threat of additional measures such as cessation of service of shots after midnight and a 3am closing time (back from 5am) are all but assured to be put into effect across the state in the near future.

However, a recent argument by renowned anthropologist Dr Anne Fox, which cites cultural factors rather than alcohol alone as the cause of late-night violence, is picking up steam in contravention to the government's assertion that the booze is solely to blame.

"Australians, like many other people worldwide, have a very pervasive belief that alcohol can transform your behaviour, that it's a transformative substance, that somehow there's this genie in the bottle that can make you behave in a certain way," Fox told the ABC earlier this month.

"Alcohol, as all of the scientific literature shows … cannot be considered a cause of violence. If it was, we'd see uniform levels of violence among all drinkers."

In corroborating her claims, Fox points to the case of Iceland, a country that she says has "a stronger culture of preloading", "24-hour bar opening … [and] high rates of gun ownership" but "almost no recorded violence".

"It's simply not a violent society and they have no belief that alcohol causes violence, and therefore you really don't see any violence in Iceland." 

Her assertions are echoed by Brisbane's Valley Liquor Accord head Nick Braban, who told Fairfax the new laws are "a reaction to a problem which will not go away if some venues close earlier".

"Anti-social behaviour is a cultural problem, not an operational one," he said. "People will still engage in poor behaviour because of societal attitudes to drinking. Our concern is that closing the Valley down will simply kill small business, the majority of which are helping to change how adults consume alcohol by offering a quality-over-quantity experience.

"3am closures, 1am lockouts and 12am cessation of high-alcohol drink service will force small, interesting, cutting-edge businesses out and allow larger businesses predicated on quality offerings to survive, as they will be best able to ride out the medium-term reset in attendance habits."

Braban also conveyed scepticism that earlier lockout times would do anything to discourage young people from continuing their revelry in suburban areas once they were forced to leave the state's entertainment precincts.

"We also think it is unrealistic to expect young people not to continue their partying habits when bars and clubs close at 3am, or they are locked out at 1am," he told Fairfax. "The party will continue in residential areas, with little to no supervision or control."

Despite their concerns, a statement sent to theMusic.com.au on behalf of Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath and shared with media explains that the government remains focused on curbing alcohol intake as their primary measure to reduce late-night violence, though there will be opportunity for consultation with stakeholders.

"This government wants to ensure our licensed premises and entertainment precincts are safe and enjyoable places to visit," D'Ath said in the statement. "Too many Queenslanders are ending up in our emergency departments every weekend as a result of excessive alcohol consumption and the associated violence.

"Over the coming months, I'll be talking to the industry and other stakeholders about our plan, and I hope they will work together with the government to make licensed venues and entertainment precincts safer for patrons, staff and the wider community."

As part of the new laws, the government will also introduce expanded police powers, allowing officers to breathalyse disorderly or apparently drunk punters on the spot, to better equip them to prosecute people who hit the sauce a little too hard in public or otherwise act in a manner deemed to be in contravention to the established Liquor Act.

"We'll back these laws up with intelligence-led policing and increased liquor licensing inspections as well as education and awareness campaigns," D'Ath told Fairfax. "Not only are these policies supported by the evidence, they're also supported by everyday Queenslanders. The Foundation for Alcohol Research and Education shows over 80% of Queenslanders support 3am closing for pubs, clubs and bars, and over 60% support a 1am lockout."

theMusic.com.au has reached out to representatives of state industry body QMusic for comment, and will update with further information when it becomes available.