As the South Australian elections looms in late March, a new association has launched as a voice for the state’s after-dark venue operators.
The SA Alliance For Night-Time Industries (SAANTI) formally set up last month focussed on removing obstacles that stop it from thriving.
High on the list is for the State Government to get rid of the controversial 3am lockout rules. These were introduced in 2015 as a reaction to anti-social behaviour and alcohol-related violence.
“Adelaide’s West End gets about 75,000 people on the weekend,” says Tony Tropeano, long time club operator and President of SAANTI.
“What we're doing is putting huge volumes of people out into the street at 3am rather than utilise a modern system with a staggered dispersal system and supported by better 24-hour transport."
As recently as three years ago, the State Government refused to jettison the rules. It stood firm against the Unlock Adelaide campaign launched by music venues and nightclubs which were continuing to struggle financially after COVID-19 close-downs.
But Tropeano has a strong argument this time around. He points out to politicians how NSW scrapped its 12-year lockout laws in January as “outdated” and cost the state $16 billion a year.
“For years before Melbourne and Brisbane have shown you can have a vibrant 24-hour economy and safe city by not being a nanny state.”
The Alliance spared no time lobbying Parliament on what it wants. Tropeano also has the SkyCity Casino in his sights.
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"If the Government really believed that trading after 3am was the cause of violence, they wouldn't grant the casino a 24-hour, lockout-free licence. We aren't against safety; we’re against a double standard.
“SkyCity was just fined $67 million for serious federal law breaches. Yet they don’t have to pay for metal detectors and high-spec CCTV which our clubs have to, and which are bankrupting us.
“Their argument is that drinking at the casino is incidental to gambling. That is a dangerous argument. In any case, the Government can’t have it both ways.
“A small jazz club on Hindley Street can’t be expected to have detectors and CCTV but not a large space on North Terrace which is licensed for 13,347 people.”
He says the lockouts continue to hit precincts hard in various ways. They discourage over-35s and international tourists from attending, and SA’s entertainment precincts lose their rising entrepreneurs to other states.
Alliance
The Alliance’s 10-person committee includes identities as Jake Phillips (Electric Circus and Rocket Rooftop) and Tarik Nasser-Eddine (SORA on Pirie and Plain Jane). The idea is to be a voice for “everyone from hole-in-the-wall bars to the large premises.”
In its lobbying of parliamentarians, The SA Alliance For Night-Time Industries Incorporated is asking the Government to:
Replace the restrictive Late Night Trading Code of Practice with site-specific safety strategies and remove the 3am lockout.
Fix the insurance crisis by investigating a State-led insurance option similar to TasInsure, introduced last year to stop venues from being priced out of existence.
Improve late-night public transport “so patrons can get home safely.”
Formally recognise and protect grassroots music spaces under liquor licensing legislation.
“Foster environments where patrons and staff can thrive through smart policy and forward-thinking safety solutions.”
Collaborate with regulators to cut through red tape “and ensure industry growth is both responsible and sustainable.”
Tropeano says many critics chastise the precincts “without really knowing the background”. Enforcement within clubs is strict but club owners have no authority to cover what happens outside their premises.
Adopting the Alliance’s recommendations, he asserts, would help Adelaide build to a 24-hour global city. “We certainly have the facilities here.”
Election
The SA election already has Adelaide’s nightlife as a platform
Opposition leader Vincent Tarzia promises to set up an Office For The Night Time Economy to battle venue insolvencies more than doubling in the past three years.
The Office would sit under a dedicated Hospitality Minister with a staff costing $1.7 million a year and the possibility of a Night Mayor.
They would work with the live sector to create after-dark policy including snipping red tape, bringing down the cost of doing business and coordinated ways to hold events.
The Greens’ policy includes 10% tax offset for venues to host live music, a 50% tax offset for travel expenses for touring artists, and a 40% tax offset for the cost of putting on live theatre production.
In the run-up to the elections, Music SA asked whichever party took power to invest $12 million in music over three years through Play It LOUD. Among the intended results is a growth in the number of music venues.
The association also called for the set-up of a new SA-orientated music industry conference. It would address issues that the three day Indie-Con – also staged in Adelaide and run by the Independent Record Labels Association with a national and international focus – necessarily does not.
The Labor Government’s policies which include grants for music venues and the Robert Stigwood scholarship, has rejected the need for an Adelaide Night Mayor.
The latest figures for the SA’s NTE showed it turned over $1.7 billion in sales two years ago and grew 3% in 2023/4. This was according to a report by the Council of Capital City Lord Mayors published in mid-2025.
It revealed about 30% of total expenditure in the City of Adelaide occurs during night-time hours (6pm to 6am). The capital city’s NTE alone supported 9,715 workers. The number of establishments fell 1.9% to 975, down from 994 the previous year.
Drink venues had the sharpest decline, down 10% to 154, and their employment dropping 16% to 1,965. Leisure & Entertainment venues showed a 4% in drop in numbers but a 3% in jobs. Food businesses held steady at 678, but employment fell by 15% to 6,315.
A City of Adelaide census published on February 11 found 129 businesses within the City hosted 1099 gigs between May 1 and May 31, 2025. This was a higher figure than before the COVID pandemic hit.
The West End is home to 57 venues presenting 547 performances. The East End has 33 venues hosting 327 performances.
This piece of content has been assisted by the Australian Government through Music Australia and Creative Australia, its arts funding and advisory body
