Queensland has its first night-life tsar. Has he been set up to sink or swim?

He was the clear frontrunner for the role, and after months of speculation, former Powderfinger bassist John “JC” Collins has been announced as Queensland’s first Night-Life Economy Commissioner.

The appointment follows a difficult period for night-life industries across the state, particularly live music venues and hospitality operators. After limping through a succession of tumultuous years, many lost their footing in the past 12 months against prohibitive costs and regulations.

Those still holding on are calling for help, and both Labor and the LNP have put a “vibrant night-life” and thriving after-dark economy in their purview ahead of the 2032 Olympics.

Brisbane rock legend and venue operator John “JC” Collins was officially appointed Queensland’s first Night-Life Economy Commissioner on Tuesday.Credit: Matt Dennien

With skin in the game, Collins is the right person for the job. Before becoming co-owner and venue director of Fortitude Music Hall and the Triffid, he spent half his life “out working at night”. He knows the night-life sector more intimately than most, and with decades of relationship-building, he’s well placed to succeed.

“I think some of the advocacy work I did around COVID with QMusic and the Play Fair campaign, [lobbying] the government to increase their capacity or give us some funding probably helped too,” he said.

The role in Queensland will mirror that of NSW’s first 24-hour economy commissioner, Michael Rodrigues, who was appointed in 2021.

Collins will work with live music venues, nightclubs, bars, restaurants and entertainment precincts, as well as police, transport, health and planning, to advise the government on best practice and advocate for growth and sustainability.

Right now though, he wants to get his bearings before he hits the streets.

“It’s a statewide role so I’ve got to get myself up north and out west, and obviously to the Gold Coast and across south-east Queensland,” he says.

“I’ve got my ideas, but they’re my ideas. I obviously need to go and talk to stakeholders of the night-time economy and see what they want, and then be that conduit [to] advise the government.”

Collins is equally keen to find out what story the data is telling, and review any rules and regulations that are disproportionately burdening operators.

That could mean a closer look at Queensland’s ID scanning laws, which he has previously criticised.

ID scanners were introduced in Safe Night Precincts across Queensland, including Fortitude Valley and Brisbane’s CBD, in 2017 to curb alcohol-fuelled violence around clubs and venues.

Studies show they assist with the enforcement of banning orders and the identification of problematic patrons, including perpetrators of serious crimes.

But the data on their role in increasing public safety is not clear, with research showing they can even contribute to higher rates of violence.

Mandatory ID scanners were introduced into Queensland’s Safe Night Precincts in 2017. Concerns over cost, privacy and efficacy are some of the reasons advocates want their implementation reviewed.Credit: Paul Harris

The Queensland government announced a review of Safe Night Precincts, including the use of ID scanners, earlier this year. It’s unclear how those findings will be implemented, but they should prove useful for the night-life commissioner.

Arts advocate and former Labor candidate for the Gabba Ward, Rebecca McIntosh – better known as “Bec Mac” – championed the city’s night-time and arts economy in her council campaign this year.

The LNP ran with similar ambitions, including easing restrictions and extending trading hours in some late-night precincts to improve trade and patronage.

At a state level, the LNP has yet to reveal its policies, but it has promised a minister with portfolio responsibility for “CBD Activation”.

McIntosh also put her hand up for the commissioner role. Though unsuccessful, she’s been awarded a Churchill Fellowship to travel to London, New York, Paris and Amsterdam next year to research night-time economy governance and its impact on safety and accessibility for women.

“I recognise that the night-time economy does not exist in Brisbane, it’s very underwhelming,” she says.

“There are so many things that aren’t considered, and women in particular are the ones that are missing out.”

As part of her undertaking, McIntosh will explore the use of arts and culture to activate public spaces and make cities safer, as well as ways to diversify night-time economies in the face of changing consumer habits.

“If you’re a night-shift worker, which 33 per cent of our working population is, they can’t go to a supermarket, get a meal or feel safe on public transport at night. The city is not built for them,” she says.

“We consume culture differently from what we did five to 10 years ago … we need to start working with the younger generations to understand what they want from their cities.”

McIntosh is the kind of stakeholder Collins will engage with in his new role – and she’s hopeful that he does.

“We’ve known each other for years,” she says. “I’d be very happy to work with him as one of the key advisors on night-time safety. I think we’d make a great duo in solving this problem.”

With a month to go until the state election, promises and policies are about to fall hard and fast from all parties.

The good thing about the newly appointed commissioner is that the role is in all parties’ best interests: to grow the state’s night-time economy and ensure it doesn’t continue to suffer. Which Collins is determined to do.

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