Victorian late-night venues and trouble-making revellers are again in the limelight, with the Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle declaring he will shut offending venues if the ongoing violence doesn’t end.
The announcement follows the release of footage showing brawls in broad daylight on Melbourne’s streets that have been connected to recovery nightclubs.
Doyle also revealed this week that some of the Melbourne’s venues would trial a new system that uses a red and yellow card system against troublesome punters.
Much like the card warning system in soccer, yellow cards would be issued to trouble-making clientele to clearly communicate they will be removed if they don’t settle down.
If they don’t proceed to take responsibility for their actions and improve their behaviour, the red card would be issued before removing them from the premises.
Melbourne City Council is also looking into the development of a new walkie-talkie system that would allow venues to warn neighbouring operators if troublemakers were evicted and out on the streets.
Doyle said they would seek out venues willing to trial the red and yellow card system and he also recognised the need for an education campaign on the issue that could be driven through signage within venues.