New laws to combat alcohol fuelled violence - Will they be effective or not? (1 Viewer)

[gilza95]

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/barry-ofa...t-alcoholfuelled-violence-20140121-315wg.html

Have a geeze at this article. Do you reckon the tough new laws announced will have an impact on reducing alcohol fuelled violence?

 

[OzKo]

Probably just means people will start drinking earlier.

 

[Crobat]

All for the tougher sentencing laws - they're long overdue.

But the lockouts and closing times are a bit more difficult to agree with. The effect will be to suddenly kick out every drunk in the CBD area onto the streets simultaneously and at the same time when most public transport stops, meaning there may be fights over taxis and generally more drunk v drunk encounters. I read that this was done in San Francisco and basically what happened was popular areas became mini riot zones (though that is hearsay so unreliable).

Tbh I think it's a good start to fixing such a serious problem but the root of the problem lies with uneducated and primal ideas of what it means to be a man - I.e. gotta be strong, masculine, loud, the boss, able to hold your alcohol well, alpha male, etc. That is what really needs to change.

 

[gilza95]

I don't really think that the lockouts and ceasing of alcohol trade will have much of an effect. Considering that the lockout at the moment is 2am, I can't see 30 mins less saving lives and that it's also pretty stock standard to leave clubs at around 3am anyways, so the ceasing of alcohol trade at 3am may also be useless.

 

[wannaspoon]

knee jerk reactions that will do nothing to actually stop anything...

2 am lockout was tried in Melbourne... Publicans chucked a spaz, started a massive lobbying campaign with rhetoric included "its not our fault its your fault" styled shit; people somehow swallowed that shit, Vic government relaxed the laws to allow for permits to operate outside the lock out; abuse of that permit system was rife, lockout failed and the legislation was overturned...

As for the tougher sentencing, it should be more that a mandatory 8 years... I'd make sure they get hung, drawn and quartered...

 

[madharris]

They tried a similar thing in Newcastle and it didn't work. As mentioned before, the drinking.started earlier and many of the alcohol related stories were covered up in a sense to make it look like the new laws were effective

 

[Drifting95]

Shit all, people are pre drinking and already pissed before they go into the CBD.

The real issue is the culture and social views in regards to alcohol.

 

[kaz1]

I really just think we should ban alcohol and legalise marijuana.

Teach everyone getting high is better than getting drunk.

 

[panda15]

Genius. Majority of these cowards hits happen on the streets, so lets just introduce laws that are gonna put more intoxicated people on the street at once! Last drinks at 3am will mean that the club closes at 3am, so I'm predicting quite a lot of shit to go down at 3am.

Tbh I reckon a better plan would to be increase the amount of public transport, especially trains. When I go to the city, I'm usually waiting in the city for an hour or two because the trains don't start up until around 4am, and I've had to put up with some very dodgy people while I've been waiting. If they're gonna put in a 3am curfew, then they need to back it up with transport that begins at 3am, or better yet, 24-hour transport. Otherwise you're gonna have a bunch of drunk roid munchers picking fights because the streets are packed as fuck.

O'Farrell has obviously never had any fun in the city. I don't how he can be so oblivious to the real reasons this is going on.

 

[OzKo]

Genius. Majority of these cowards hits happen on the streets, so lets just introduce laws that are gonna put more intoxicated people on the street at once! Last drinks at 3am will mean that the club closes at 3am, so I'm predicting quite a lot of shit to go down at 3am.

Tbh I reckon a better plan would to be increase the amount of public transport, especially trains. When I go to the city, I'm usually waiting in the city for an hour or two because the trains don't start up until around 4am, and I've had to put up with some very dodgy people while I've been waiting. If they're gonna put in a 3am curfew, then they need to back it up with transport that begins at 3am, or better yet, 24-hour transport. Otherwise you're gonna have a bunch of drunk roid munchers picking fights because the streets are packed as fuck.

O'Farrell has obviously never had any fun in the city. I don't how he can be so oblivious to the real reasons this is going on.

Tbf, I think the government know the real reason but the media has been slating him for not doing anything when in reality, there's not much any government could do unless they know how to instigate a massive cultural shift regarding recreational alcohol consumption.

It's a lose-lose situation.

 

[brent012]

It's a lose-lose situation.

In these situations, the government should lose. Not the general public.

 

[OzKo]

In these situations, the government should lose. Not the general public.

My point is that there isn't really much the government can actually do to get to the root of the problem so they have to be seen doing something. Pretty much all feasible solutions have a downside in respect to reducing the violence so it's a zero sum game.

I haven't seen a reasonable solution tabled by anyone so far. Everyone keeps pushing for these new rules which won't end up working, won't reduce violence (since when has the law stopped drunk people doing stupid things) and will only result in longer sentences. Everyone has to have a deep look at themselves and figure out that making the government the fall-guy won't help anything.

 

[Queenroot]

What about just having more security and harsher punishments?

 

[OzKo]

What about just having more security and harsher punishments?

A lot of these attacks seem to be spur of the moment things. A police presence could possibly help but it wouldn't be preventative. It would only improve response time imo.

In terms of harsher punishments, I'm on the fence. On one side, they seem to disregard the law already and seem to be willing to risk prison (albeit due to alcohol) due to stupidity but I think the publicity over the past few months could get a few of these guys thinking before they head out for a night on the town.

 

[enoilgam]

I think it is just a knee-jerk reaction by the government to quell the media attention - over the last few weeks the media has been going on and on about this like its a new phenomenon. It's like, Friday and Saturday nights have always been pretty rowdy in the city. I think these laws show just how influential the media can be.

 

[Crobat]

I think it is just a knee-jerk reaction by the government to quell the media attention - over the last few weeks the media has been going on and on about this like its a new phenomenon. It's like, Friday and Saturday nights have always been pretty rowdy in the city. I think these laws show just how influential the media can be.

I think the most surprising thing is that O'Farrell was so against any idea of lockouts etc and then suddenly overnight this.

 

[madharris]

What about just having more security and harsher punishments?

There have been a lot more security around the cross in the past few months.
There's a riot squad van everywhere you look, and there's like 5 policemen in each club

 

[nerdasdasd]

There have been a lot more security around the cross in the past few months.
There's a riot squad van everywhere you look, and there's like 5 policemen in each club

+1, I don't think the cross is any safer now, than it was a few years ago...

 

[Crobat]

+1, I don't think the cross is any safer now, than it was a few years ago...

The cross will never be safe though.


Unless you instate mandatory sterilisation (notsrs)

 

[kaz1]

The cross will never be safe though.


Unless you instate mandatory sterilisation (notsrs)

or you just wear helmet, can't die from a king hit if you wear a helmet