Banning problem patrons from safe drinking precincts 'only shifts the problem'

PUB and club owners outside the State Government's new Drink Safe precincts at Surfers Paradise, Fortitude Valley and Townsville fear an onslaught of drunken louts.

PUB and club owners outside the State Government's new $4.2 million Drink Safe precincts at Surfers Paradise, Fortitude Valley and Townsville fear an onslaught of drunken louts.

Premier Anna Bligh said from December 1, problem patrons would be banned and the precincts protected by extra police, taxi supervisors and community safety personnel as part of a two-year trial in response to a parliamentary inquiry into booze-fuelled violence.

Jade Buddha joint-owner Phil Hogan said inner-city operators had worked hard to provide a safer environment for revellers and were now in danger of inheriting all of the troublemakers from the Valley.

"In our view they'll simply encourage the worst offenders to go to precincts where they can't be banned, for example Brisbane CBD," he said.

"Personally I think it's a real cop-out by the Government and a major concern for any operators who are not in the 'chosen precincts'."

Liquor Licensing Minister Peter Lawlor said the Government was limited in what it could do.

"I don't see a benefit in having a trial in 20 places," he said. "Broadbeach may feel left out too."

Mr Lawlor said laws banning problem patrons from any area may already exist.

"There might be that ability there already (and) that's something the Attorney-General's office is addressing," he said.

Queensland Party founder Aidan McLindon, who sat on the law, safety and justice committee which held the inquiry, said the Government had missed the point.

"Get rid of the lockouts, have a time limit on the serving of alcohol and let people trickle home in their own time rather than building up a surge of people wanting to go home all at once," he said.

"You can't just create so-called 'safe zones' and expect the problems to disappear. They will simply shift and create a whole new series of problems elsewhere."

Queensland Ambulance Union organiser Kroy Day said the Government had sold out his members and the community by failing to introduce real measures to make the streets safer, like reduced trading hours.

"What an outstanding waste of taxpayer funds . . . we've got politicians on there from both sides of Parliament – they put extensive resources and time into hearing multiple submissions, going over all the evidence and then they're not going to take the recommendation," he said.

"They're not limiting people's access to alcohol when they're out."

Cabarets Queensland chairman Sarosh Mehta said he was relieved trading hours weren't being rolled back from 5am. "Nightclubs don't enjoy a revenue stream from gaming, nor the few sacred days we used to enjoy staying open when all other licensed venues had to shut at midnight," he said.