Triffid Co-owner Scott Hutchinson To Take On Qld Liquor & Lockout Laws

Local businessman, venue owner, music fan and industry activist Scott Hutchinson has affirmed his commitment to "bankroll whatever is necessary" to reverse newly introduced amendments to Queensland's liquor service legislation by the state Labor government.

As The Guardian reports, Hutchinson — who co-owns The Triffid with former Powderfinger bassist John Collins — made his comments on the eve of this past weekend's introduction of the amendments, which saw the roll-out of laws banning shots and cocktails after midnight, as well as a 2am cessation of service for venues outside designated entertainment zones. Premises inside such precincts are granted an extension until 3am, under the imposition of a 1am lockout to be introduced in February.

After several months attempting to "change things internally the quiet way", Hutchinson expressed frustration with the reigning government's perceived inflexibility on the issue, telling the paper, "All you can do here is ram through".

He went even further, pointing the finger at cabinet member and medical professional Anthony Lynham, a chief figurehead of the campaign for the introduction of the new legislative changes, and suggesting that the presiding party had been blind to extensive criticism from the very people whose votes on which they count.

"I help the Labor Party a lot and I've been a member of the CFMEU for nearly two decades and most of them are not in favour of it," Hutchinson told The Guardian. "This is all about one doctor whose vote they needed … that's all it's about. And the people they're treating so shabbily at the moment are their supporters, which is generally the music industry, and the arts in general leans towards Labor. But the Liberals are going to take it from them."

"Brisbane's a real incubator for music at the moment and they didn't consult us at all about this, they didn't consult the music industry one bit, they didn't care less," he continued. "They've taken those people as Labor voters and they won't change their vote. Well, they will. Young people are already turning."

Hutchinson maintains his vocal opposition to the legislative changes "is not about money" — in fact, The Triffid is incidentally unaffected by the changes as it doesn't operate with a late-night licence to begin with — but rather stems from his genuine love of the Brisbane live music scene.

It's a quality the Hutchinson Builders chairman has not been shy in demonstrating; he most recently won affection from the local industry by spearheading a(n ultimately unsuccessful) campaign to spare beloved local venue The Tivoli from then-increasingly likely demolition before another local group ultimately stepped in to save the day.