Queer Venues Join The Fight For The Right To Party
When Melbourne’s Bars, Nightclubs, Publicans and Events organisers head to Parliament House this Friday 30th May to protest the contentious 2am lockout laws, Melbourne’s vibrant Gay and Lesbian venues will be right along with them. They will be united under Melbourne Locked Out as a pressure group formed by the public in protest against the harmful 2am lockout policy, and calling on public and media scrutiny of the proposed quarter year trial.
As a group they will demand a postponement of the trial pending a full investigation by an independent committee. However, their demands are falling on deaf ears, with the confirmation by the State government that the 2am Lockout will be going a head regardless of any protest.
The 2am entry curfew which begins on the 3rd June 2008, was originally an act of martial law used during war times, is the latest in a series of moves to combat binge drinking and alcohol-fuelled violence in inner-Melbourne. The main targets for the lockout are the city nightclub precincts, but will it cover four inner-Melbourne local government areas: Melbourne, Yarra, Stonnington and Port Phillip.
The lockout, which Melbourne Locked Out are calling another ‘Band-Aid Brumby Policy’, basically means that nobody may enter a licensed premises after 2am even if you have already been inside that venue. There are exemptions however, which include pokie and keno littered RSL’s, Crown Casino and Bottle shops, which protesters are calling this unfair favouritism for gambling.
Venues who fail to enforce the policy will be hit with fines of up to $6800.
According to Victorian Premier John Brumby, Victoria’s binge-drinking problem justifies the 2am ban, “We do face a big challenge – this is a big issue and these measures will, I believe, make a real difference to our streets,” he said.
“They’ll make a real difference to our communities, particularly the inner-suburban areas of Melbourne and particularly the CBD,” he continued, “Most importantly they’ll make a difference, a positive difference to young people and to families.”
The lockout which has been called “a very significant step forward for Victoria’’ by Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, will not affect people already in venues or change opening hours. The move aims to reduce venue hopping which police advise is the major cause of Melbourne’s recent violent behaviour and dangerous assaults.
There’s talk that the lockout will be rolled out in other cities around the country. Queensland already has one and Sydney is currently running a voluntary trial lockout in the inner city.
As far as Melbourne goes, the protest group is angry that danger zones for violence have not been included such as inner suburb Hawthorn where there has recently been a large number of assaults outside McDonalds and the nightclubs in the area, and Crown Casino which has reported 1200 assaults since 2002 in the Southbank district, not to mention domestic violence and emotional trauma due to gambling addiction.
They are also angered that the public has not been consulted on the new policy and that violence statistics have not been released to the public. Protesters argue that rather than reducing the alcohol related violence on the streets, and reducing traffic congestion in Melbourne’s inner city, it will increase it, as case studies in London have showed, where now lockout hours have been extended to curb street violence and drunkenness.
According to Melbourne Locked Out, the 2am curfew is totally ridiculous and it’s going to kill the nightlife that Melbourne has become famous for, and our queer venues agree. The issue has particular relevance for queers because so many queers live in the inner city, which these new laws will directly affect.
Nearly all of Melbourne’s queer venues will be present at the Victorian protest including the Laird Hotel, the Peel and the Xchange, to show their opposition to the 2am Lockout. Full time queer club, The Market hotel, has gone a step further and been involved in actually getting petitions signed against the new laws, as well as ensuring their presence at Parliament House on Friday.
As well as the physical protest, many of the clubs such as Love Machine, have also entered into online protests on networking platforms like Facebook. Individuals too are making their presence felt both online and in the flesh.
Our very own Same Same member tiggertrouble is organising a silent raver protest group to join the rest on Friday. Those interested in joining the silent protest are asked to meet at Parliament House at 5:15pm and bring your MP3 device / iPod as well as some talcum powder.
“Protests can get pretty dull, so this way you can still make your mark while rocking out.” Says tigger, “You’ll still be dancing, but no one can hear what you’re moving to. It’s about the silencing of clubs and nightlife.”
“These laws are not only going to damage our amazing nightlife and industry, but it is going to mean the end of a lot of small businesses, and lets face it, jobs.” said Laird Hotel co-owner Mark echoing the sentiment of much queer club managements, “It’s not just an issue that affects us as publicans, but the patrons and our staff feel very passionately about it too. That’s why we will be there on Friday, protesting with everyone together.”
The Melbourne Locked Out protest takes place on Friday 30th May, from 5-7pm on the steps of Parliament House. The public is invited to get involved and make their voice heard.
Your Thoughts
Hey there, you need to be logged in to get involved with SameSame, click here to login if you're already a member, or here if you need to become a new member.
principiadp
said ages ago
shyish
said ages ago