Freelancer chief executive Matt Barrie has posted a scathing article on Sydney's lockout laws, taking to task the state government and labelling New South Wales the "nanny state".

The post on social networking site LinkedIn comes just hours after a new report into the lockout laws by the City of Sydney found that foot traffic in Kings Cross and Oxford Street at 11pm on a Friday night, before the 1.30am lockout and 3am last drinks, was down 58 per cent. By 4am, foot traffic had fallen 80 per cent on 2012 figures.