"I understand that this presents an inconvenience. Some say this makes us an international embarrassment. Premier Mike Baird announced the relaxation last month following a review. Credit:Ben Rushton "Except, assaults are down by 42.2 per cent [in the CBD since 2014]. "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 so-called alcohol-fuelled violence.

Mr Baird and his predecessor have been trailed by critics of the laws on social media. Even Mr Baird's recent Instagram post marking New Year's Eve with a glass of champagne was flooded with negative comments about the effects of the lockout. The reforms 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 commissioned by the City of Sydney found foot traffic in Kings Cross was down nearly 60 per cent about 11 pm. 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". Mr Barrie responded to the Premier's post on Tuesday, noting his own piece had been read some 900,000 times with mostly favourable responses.

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 that the state government will "have a firmly stated position about the future of lockouts" once the review is complete. 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.