Editorial: Locked in, now lockout laws safeguards vital

NO-ONE would contend that we don’t need to take action to curb alcohol-fuelled violence but tighter restrictions on trading hours alone will never be enough.

Beers and cheers

QUEENSLAND’S controversial lockout laws are a classic example of an outcome that everyone desires but methodology that causes considerable division.

No-one would contend that we do not need to take action to curb alcohol-fuelled violence on our streets late at night but the approach must be measured. Even tighter restrictions on trading hours on their own will never be enough.

For Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, the passage of the laws through Parliament will represent a significant victory.

PARLIAMENT: Lockout laws to be passed

Ms Palaszczuk risked a lot of political capital on this legislation, but showed a willingness to negotiate a compromise deal that saved the Government from what was looking like an ignominious defeat.

For their part, Katter’s Australian Party’s Shane Knuth and Robbie Katter deserve acknowledgment for negotiating in good faith, in the process demonstrating that a minority government can work when the various parties are prepared to work towards a broadly shared goal.

The jury is still out, however, on just how successful the new legislation will prove to be in reducing some of the mayhem that has plagued our entertainment precincts in recent years.

If the NSW experience is anything to go by, lockout laws alone may lower assault statistics by reducing patronage but on their own do little to improve a drinker’s behaviour.

In this regard, it is only a suite of measures that covers everything from public education to police and security numbers, exclusion provisions, and stricter enforcement of existing responsible service laws that is likely to prove truly effective in the long term.

It must be as much about changing a drinking culture as it is about changing opening hours.

Thankfully the new laws will now also be phased in, allowing venues time to transition to a more restrictive set of rules.

What is really welcome though is the commitment to conduct a root and branch, independent review of the laws two years down the track.

This review is an essential when it comes to weighing up not only the effectiveness of the new regime, but also whether unintended socio-economic costs outweigh the social benefits.

As critics have contended, the lockout laws may bring with them reduced employment opportunities, a difficult-to-quantify social impact, and a wider negative when it comes to perceptions of Queensland as a tourist destination.

Again, these are issues that an honest and open review of the laws in 2018 will need to address, and to which the government of the day must respond in a pragmatic rather than political fashion.

For now though, the debate is behind us and an open mind should be maintained as we enter this trial period.

Certainly though, all of Queensland is on the same page in hoping, regardless of individual thoughts on the regulatory tactics adopted, that the desired outcomes are achieved.

Find funding for key projects

THE list of projects put forward in the landmark Australian Infrastructure Plan yesterday is a positive step towards preparing Queensland for the future.

In the preamble of the plan, Infrastructure Australia says it “prioritised the user; the commuter waiting for a train, the family paying their electricity bill and the business looking to capitalise on overseas markets”.

This is good news for Brisbane public transport users, already risking rail gridlock in a few months.

The long awaited Cross River Rail, which has been trumpeted in various forms by three state administrations, is listed as a high priority to deal with the expected 50 per cent jump in traffic volume in Brisbane in the next 15 years.

There also is good news for the regions with plans to preserve the east coast rail corridor between Brisbane and Melbourne for future service and through inland centres, as well as upgrading tracks for longer trains between the northern points of Townsville and Mount Isa.

Now Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and her Treasurer Curtis Pitt must come to the table to stump up their share of funding. These projects are vital to create jobs and give Queensland businesses of all sizes the economic lift they desperately need after the infrastructure and resources boom of the past 10 years.

While the State Government
was elected promising no asset sales, NSW is enjoying the benefits of the $10.25 billion raised by the Baird Government’s decision to lease its power transmission assets.

With Queensland’s coffers largely empty, the Government must carefully examine the report’s recommendation to consider selling public transport, electricity and water infrastructure assets to raise funds.

If Queensland is to build the infrastructure needed to support our growing population, asset sales cannot simply be rejected out of hand and put in the too-hard basket by politicians.

These projects must be funded and executed for the sake of jobs, our small and large businesses, and to make life better for Queenslanders.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Lachlan Heywood, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us