No Take Away Alcohol After 10pm? Bullshit!

I hadn’t paid much attention to NSW’s new liquor laws until I tried to buy a bottle of wine on the way home after having to work back late. I had left a shade before 10pm, catching the train home. I walked into a bottle shop attached to a still open pub, expecting to be able to buy a bottle of wine, so I could have a glass or two with my late dinner.

“I’m sorry, sir. We can’t serve you after 10pm. It’s now 10.10. We’re closing up.”

A (mostly) law abiding citizen cannot buy take away alcohol after 10pm, from any outlet in the entire state? Are you fucking kidding?

The government’s explanatory web page shows its new plan of 1.30am lockouts and 3am last drinks at “large CBD values”. Small bars and restaurants are exempt, as they should be.

I don’t really have a problem with the government enforcing stricter licencing regulations upon big hotels, beer barns and nightclubs. Those are the venues where trouble ie. violence tends to occur. That’s because the types of people who tend to be violent when intoxicated are (surprisingly) disproportionately the types of people who frequent big hotels, beer barns and nightclubs. Letting large groups of potentially violent morons drink into the early hours of the morning is certainly a recipe for trouble, particularly as drinking for that length of time often involves stimulants such as amphetamines.

I agree with the new, “risk based” licence fees, given that such high risk venues consume a disproportionate amount of police (and probably health) resources. If those extra licencing costs are passed onto consumers through higher drink prices after midnight, that’s a reasonable implementation of a user pays philosophy.

But where is the connection between these demonstrable concentrations of drunken violence and take away liquor sales after 10pm?

This is just thoughtless, knee-jerk policy, attempting to appear to be acting strongly and decisively to appease the bleating, middle class voters.

Policy which restricts the rights of citizens to freely engage in commercial, recreational or social activities must be based on clear evidence. This is part of the basis upon which citizens allow the state coercive power.

How does an adult buying take away alcohol from a suburban bottle shop between 10 and 11pm (the previous closing time) demonstrably increase the level of alcohol related violence?

I asked the guy at the bottle shop if they had noticed much effect.

“Working an hour less a night costs me about $100 a week. The owner’s not too happy about the $9,000 a week drop off in sales either.”

There you go. No decrease in violence … just a decrease in economic activity, employment and the reasonable amenity of citizens.

Good work, Mike Baird and Troy Grant (actually it was Barry O’Farrell and George Souris who brought this law in). You’ve certainly improved the wellbeing of your constituents ie. your employers with this policy.

If you’re as angry about this as I am, do what I did: write to Premier Mike Baird and responsible minister, Troy Grant. The law will only change if enough citizens make their opposition known.