New figures are showing that in the post-lockout law world of Sydney, where an upstanding citizen such as you or I will be refused a drink in the wee hours of a Sunday morning, a new venue has nabbed the gold medal for ‘most violent venue’.
A recent Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research review of the effect on violence of lockout laws in Kings Cross and central Sydney shows that, from the monthly average statistic of 6.3 assaults per month, acts of violence that happened in and around The Star could potentially be near to 75.
Under the government’s current scheme, restrictions will apply to any venue that records more 19 assaults in a year. However, The Star has been exempt since 2008.
It’s also exempt from the ‘Three Strike’ scheme, where a venue can lose its license for multiple breaches of liquor licensing laws. The most recent report from the Independent Liquor and Gambling Authority found that The Star was had 12 breaches during 2013/14. There was two fines for permitting intoxication in the casino, and another for permitting intoxication in Marquee nightclub – this would normally be enough to incur a strike.
A spokeswoman for The Star said,
“In the context of The Star receiving more than 11,000,000 visitors per year to a single site, far higher than any other venue in NSW, we believe that our record on guest safety is very strong”.
Okay, we guess ¯_(ツ)_/¯
