By Annette Shailer
Victorian Premier John Brumby has dumped the controversial 2:00am lockout proposal in favour of a greater police presence and a ‘time-out’ zone in the Melbourne’s CBD.
The Victorian Government will inject an extra $11 million to provide 150 extra police in Melbourne’s CBD during weekends and peak periods, to tackle alcohol-fuelled violence.
Speaking on Melbourne’s Radio 3AW today (November 10), Brumby admitted the failure of the 2:00am lockout trial and stressed the importance of police presence on the city’s streets.
“The combination of the additional police, plus the additional financial support we’ve given Victorian police, will mean that they can have a much, much bigger police presence in the CBD over weekends,” he said.
Brumby said the decision was based in part on a KPMG review of the 2:00am lockout trial that will be made public today.
“It shows there were some positive things that came out of the lockout, but it’s also impossible to reach a conclusive decision about it because there were so many nightclubs that got exemptions from VCAT (Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal),” he said.
“On the basis that (the review) is not that conclusive, we are not committing to a permanent lockout.”
The ‘time-out’ zone will be on the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets and will allow drunken revellers to enjoy a cup of tea, coffee, water or even a lie-down for a couple of hours to get sober.
Numerous groups will take responsibility for the ‘time-out’ zone, including St John Ambulance, The Salvation Army, Victoria Police, Rotary Club, City of Melbourne and the Youth Substance Abuse Service.
Prominent Nightclub Owner, Peter Iwaniuk, labelled the Premier’s announcement a vindication of the campaign by nightclub owners for a better approach to anti-social behaviour. But he also stressed the need for further education.
“Much more needs to be done. The Government must first stop the blame game,” he said.
“It is now evident that nightclubs are not the problem — it is attitudes and behaviour in the streets and wider community that must be targeted.”
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