The end of Sydney’s controversial lockout laws is upon us, with the NSW Government announcing a final tranche of repeals that will see them phased out entirely across the city.
The government announced the official rollback earlier this morning, exactly 12 years after the laws were first applied to key nightlife precincts as a snap response to alcohol-fuelled violence in 2014.
The repeal marks the end to the ‘last drinks’ rule, which forced venues in Kings Cross, Oxford Street and the Sydney CBD to stop serving alcohol after 3:30 am.
Blanket per person drink limits, bans on promoting shots during late-night trade, and the presence of an RSA marshal after midnight in certain venues have also been wound back, as well as the mandated use of plastic cups at certain times.
Speaking of the move in a press statement, NSW Minister for Music and Night-time Economy John Graham said he was “delighted to say goodbye to this chapter of Sydney’s nightlife story”.
“12 years to the day since they were announced, we are now declaring the lockout laws have been completely abolished,” Graham said, adding that the original laws had “good intentions but a diabolical impact” on Sydney’s night-life economy and reputation.
The government said the repeals come amid both a downward trend in alcohol-related assaults and a broader effort to revitalise the city’s nightlife, making the mandates unfit for purpose over a decade after they were introduced.
It follows on from another tranche of lockout laws that were repealed back in 2020. That move saw the ban on patrons entering venues on Oxford Street and the CBD after 1:30am completely scrapped, with Kings Cross included in that rollback the following year.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has been gradually introducing so-called ‘vibrancy reforms’ aimed at boosting Sydney’s $110 billion night-life economy since 2023. The reforms have included a ban on single-neighbour noise complaints and a relaxation of the rules around drinking outside venues.
All these sweeping changes come after a rapid review of NSW nightlife in September found that over-regulation, transport and safety had become key barriers hindering the hospitality sector.
The lockout laws were introduced in 2014 after the deaths of one-punch victims Thomas Kelly and Daniel Christie.
The government said violence decreased in the affected precincts after they were introduced, but key figures in the nightlife scene, including business owners and performers, rallied against the lockouts, including in the form of Keep Sydney Open protests.
lead images: Getty Images
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