Late night pubs and clubs set to protest Adelaide’s ‘de facto lockout laws’, as State Government announces huge new fee hike

Club and bar operators are going to “fight all the way” against new fee hikes, arguing their margins are already thin and closures will just worsen the exodus of young people.

DJ and Sugar nightclub owner Driller Jet Armstrong. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

• Raft of fees, charges and fines to rise
• Bank St social says higher prices, fewer hours are on the cards

Late night venue operators are gearing up to campaign against “de facto lockout laws” imposed by the State Government, warning a huge hike in liquor licencing fees will force some to shut their doors and artists to bypass Adelaide.

Sugar nightclub owner Driller Jet Armstrong has told The Advertiser he had no warning of the fee hikes before Treasurer Rob Lucas revealed them last week, and is now being forced to consider closure.

The club faces a nearly six-fold annual fee rise, to $15,000.

“Our margins are incredibly thin,” Driller said.

“I don’t do this because I’m making a hell of a lot of money out of it. I do it because it love it and, as an artist and DJ and music venue owner, I want to promote Adelaide to the world.”

Liquor licencing fees will rise largely across the board starting from November, but with a particular sting for bars and clubs that close after 4am.

Driller said: “We bring so many international acts to Adelaide that would never usually come here.

“A city should have a night life after 2 o’clock. They want all business to be shut down by 2am. It is a de facto lockout law.”

Sugar is considered one of Adelaide’s top nightclubs for house, disco and techno music as well as a regular stop for some of the world’s best DJs.

Popular laneway bar Bank Street Social also has warned it is being forced to consider cutting back opening hours or increasing prices to cover a jump from $1000 to $6000 in its annual liquor licence fees.

Bank Street Social co-owner Simon Orders.

Venues on the special small bar licence, which must close before 2am and have a capacity below 800 people, will have their liquor charges increase from $115 to $425.

Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said officials from the Consumer and Business Services department would work with venue operators as reforms rolled out, and some could save money by shifting to new categories of licence.

She said the fee changes flowed from an independent review, commissioned by the former Labor state government, that urged a “risk-based” approach to setting prices.

“The new structure brings SA in line with other states around the country,” Ms Chapman said. “An online calculator has been developed that will help licensees understand how their fees are expected to change, as well as the factors that influence those costs under the new structure.”

Driller said he and others in the industry were banding together to fight the new charges “all the way”, fearing it would decimate the music scene and worsen a brain drain of young people across the border.

“I’m certainly not going to just accept it. I’m going to fight this all the way, and try to mobilise as many industry people that I can to tell the Government this is not the way to go,” he said.

“We’re meeting to discuss a plan of action. We’re not a risky business, we employ security to keep everybody safe.”