The lockout laws have mainly affected the entertainment district which stretches across the Sydney CBD, Surry Hills, Darlinghurst, the Rocks, Kings Cross and Cockle Bay. In the 6 months since the laws came into effect, there have only been 2 incidents of assault, compared to 22 in the same period last year, states Police Assistant Commissioner Michael Fuller. Perhaps the strongest justification for lockout laws comes from Deakin University professor Peter Miller, who notes that “Alcohol-related harm increased by 20 percent each hour after midnight, which he said made a strong case for closing venues at 3am.” St Vincent 's Health Australia have seen reduced pressure on medical teams in emergency rooms and NSW emergency service workers have also written to Premier Mike Baird urging him to keep the laws in place. They said repealing the laws would turn back to those days when local streets and emergency departments were full of victims of alcohol-fuelled …show more content…
In 2012, Kelly was 18 he was walking down the street in Kings Cross with his girlfriend and struck unexpectedly by a fatal blow and was killed. In 2013, Christie, who was also 18, was killed by Shaun McNeil, a belligerently drunk MMA fighter, as Christie was trying to get McNeil to stop attacking a group of teenagers when he was punched, fell and hit his head on the ground, leading to serious head trauma. The death of Daniel Christie stimulated a prevalent debate on alcohol-fuelled violence and ultimately led the state government to introduce a suite of measures including 1.30am lockouts, a ban on takeaway alcohol after 10pm, 3am last drinks and a freeze on new liquor licenses. Those found to be violating the laws can sustain penalties such as fines up to $11,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months. Michael Christie, the father of Kings Cross king-hit victim, has spoken up in the public about the lockout laws that were constituted following the death of his son. Michael Christie says that while he supports the idea of the legislation but he has "a lot of disgust" that former NSW Premier Barry O 'Farrell never conferred the laws with him prior to their enactment as