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NSW Premier Mike Baird has all but ruled out any changes to the state government's controversial "lockout" laws, just as his government prepares to review the legislation.
The Premier took to Facebook to address what he called "growing hysteria" about the impact of the laws, two years since they were passed.
"The main complaints seem to be that you can't drink till dawn any more and you can't impulse-buy a bottle of white after 10pm," Mr Baird wrote, in a reference to recent criticism that claims the laws depress Sydney's nightlife and undercut its claims to be a global city.
"I understand that this presents an inconvenience. Some say this makes us an international embarrassment.
"Except, assaults are down by 42.2 per cent.
"And there is nothing embarrassing about that."
The reforms were introduced under former premier Barry O'Farrell two years ago following high-profile instances of alcohol-fuelled violence.
They restricted the sale of alcohol and operating hours for pubs and clubs in Sydney's centre, forbidding bottle shops from selling alcohol after 10pm and restricting licensed venues in Sydney's CBD and Kings Cross from accepting new patrons after 1.30am and serving alcohol at 3am.
"Some have suggested these laws are really about moralising," Mr Baird said. "They are right. These laws are about the moral obligation we have to protect innocent people from drunken violence.
"[Those] who wish to define our city by one street on Kings Cross make the hysterical claim that Sydney is dead.
"They couldn't be more wrong. This is the greatest city in the world and it is now safer and more vibrant than ever."
Mr Baird said the number of small bars in the city had doubled in the period since the lockout was brought in.
Emergency service workers and some criminologists have praised the laws for reducing crime rates, while the business lobby has argued that the changes are devastating Sydney's hospitality industry and nightlife.
One recent review by the City of Sydney found foot traffic in Kings Cross was down nearly 90 per cent between 3am and 4am. But the methodology behind that report has come in for criticism with accusations of cherry-picking data.
Prominent businessman Matt Barrie wrote a tirade against the laws that was widely shared online this week. He described the regulations as reflecting what happens when "a state gets taken over by a cabal of zealots whose only policy is religious ideology".
This month the Baird government begins its review of the lockout laws, which will seek testimony on their impact on Sydney businesses as well as on crime rates.
Justice Minister Troy Grant has said he wants the review to be run independently.
But the Premier's post seemingly all but rules out the possibility that the laws might relax.
"It is going to take a lot for me to change my mind on a policy that is so clearly improving this city," Mr Baird said.
Let’s start with a statistic about Sydney’s nightlife that matters: alcohol related assaults have decreased by 42.2 per...Posted by Mike Baird on Monday, February 8, 2016