New Research Calls Bullshit On Recent Claims That Lockouts Work

Just days after a Melbourne study concluded the contentious lockout laws introduced in Sydney should be expanded nationwide, a new analysis argues that there is evidence that the legislation has not an impact on reducing violence in the city.

As Hack reports, the analysis, conducted by two qualified economists and a mathematics post-doc for anti-lockouts activist group Keep Sydney Open, has used 24 months of post-lockouts data (up to March 2016), as opposed to BOCSAR analysis (the most cited study in debates of the effectiveness of lockouts) which uses 16 months of post-lockouts data.

The authors' analysis has made a number of key findings:

• The number of assaults in Sydney have been on the decline even before lockout laws were introduced, with the peak coming in 2008
• The number of people heading to Kings Cross has dropped more so than the number of alcohol related incidents, meaning assaults per person have increased
• Violence has not decreased, but only pushed out to other areas, specifically where lockout laws are not in place
• Alcohol-related assaults have increased outside Sydney lockout zones, yet stayed stable in the rest of NSW

Check out some graphs of the findings below. 

Hack also report that this analysis was submitted to Ian Callinan (who conducted the lockout review), but that BOSCAR refuted Keep Sydney Open's proposal.

"BOCSAR and [University of Newcastle] Professor Kypri assure me that the statistics of violent incidents show a marked decline after the Amendments and that they are accurate and robust," Callinan said.

"Those statistics are consistent with those for admissions to the emergency department at St Vincent's and with the day-to-day experience of police, ambulance and other health workers. (The catchment area of St Vincent's includes Bondi, Double Bay and Coogee)."

One of the authors of the KSO analysis, Iyanoosh Reporter, has since said that they were not given the opportunity to respond to BOCSAR's claims.

"We welcomed the process to engage directly with BOCSAR and St Vincent's [Hospital] on technical aspects of their evidence submitted to the review but were disappointed not to have been given the opportunity to respond," Reporter said in a statement.

"We would have liked to continue the conversation as number of fundamental concerns remain unresolved."

Speaking to theMusic in August, Keep Sydney Open spokesperson Tyson Koh said locals who are against the lockouts need to make their voice heard. 

"Even though Sydney really has lost it’s morale, there are people really working their butts off putting on gigs, bringing out DJs, playing in bands every night of the week," Koh said.

"I think the best thing that Sydneysiders can do is support this stuff.

"All is not lost and we really need to work together to rebuild the damage that’s been done since the introduction of the lockouts."

Keep Sydney Open are set to stage another rally in the city this weekend.