Logic locked out

Sometimes politicians make ill-informed decisions, and sometimes they are just plain dumb.

John Brumby's proposed trial to ban entry into bars and nightclubs after 2am is a demonstration of the latter.

Rather than addressing the core problems that result in drunken violence, Brumby has proposed a Band-Aid solution that will not solve the problem and harms more people than it helps.

When announcing the 2am lockout Premier Brumby argued there is a problem with drunken revellers being kicked out of inner-city venues, only to bar-hop to another licensed venue.

The consequence is drunken revellers turn into violent ones.

After a trial 2am lockout in Bendigo and Ballarat, the Government now wants a similar trial regime in inner-city Melbourne.

But what works for Bendigo and Ballarat doesn't necessarily work for inner-city Melbourne.

Outside of the regional centres of Ballarat and Bendigo choice is limited for late-night venues.  The same cannot be said of Melbourne.

The lockout will not stop drunken revellers from going to bars after 2am, it will simply mean they will go to the suburbs.

One result will be increased pressure on venues and police resources outside of the inner city.

Such a scenario poses serious concerns about drink-driving between venues that may not otherwise occur if partygoers simply moved between the bars and night clubs of places like Chapel St.

And even if drunken revellers are not allowed into bars and nightclubs at 2am, it needn't mean they are without choice in the inner city.

If drunken revellers still want to party past 2am the casino will still be open and serving alcohol.

Considering the hoopla the Government makes about reducing the volume of gambling in society, it seems hypocritical to allow the casino to continue to accept new customers past 2am when non-gambling venues are required to refuse entrance.

At 2am there will also be a spillover of party goers on inner-city streets.

While no one will be kicked out of venues unless they are already intoxicated, most major nightclubs and bars have queues of people to get in.  Any bar-hopper left in line at 2am will be left out in the streets.

Having such a large group of people roaming the streets will only add more problems for an already stretched police force.

Having stayed in the CBD for a number of nights and having had physical violence threatened toward me by drunken revellers, I am sympathetic to the Government's concerns.

But ultimately the policy will not address the root cause of the problem -- bar tenders serving alcohol to intoxicated patrons which exacerbates the problem, and a poor police presence in the inner city at night.

A 2am lockout is a lemon policy, and I don't mean the type served as a wedge in nightclub cocktails.

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