Dear Mike,

I want to start this letter off by saying that I am not a raver. I don’t go clubbing (okay maybe once every three years), i don’t drink to excess, smoke or take illicit substances. I am a Journalist, freelance, working for myself, paying my taxes and way through life. I’m saving up to buy a house in between seeing my girlfriend who lives in Munich (the one in Germany), and on the weekend I wind up at a mates place playing Dungeons and Dragons in between trying to lose weight and getting enough sleep to function. I’m essentially a class A Nerd.

The reason i want to tell you this is so you’ll see how much these lockout laws affect everyone - not just those who took part in what was once a vibrant section of the city’s nightlife. And the truth is, that right NOW the lockout laws don’t really affect me.

But they will in time.

You’re probably expecting me to rehash what everyone is saying. I won’t. I will say though, the backlash against this totalitarian-esque set of laws would probably be a little better if it didn’t seem you were looking after Packer and other financially heavy hitting interests. It’d probably also be better if you weren’t trying to “moralise” people who don’t agree with your morals. It’s probably not really helping.

No, i want to talk to you about some things a little closer to home.

According to the 2014 ABC report “The Economic and Cultural value of Live Music in Australia” 35.9% of the country’s live music scene was contained within NSW, totalling $430.9 Million AUD of the $1.2 Billion dollar industry - a figure sourced from the 2011 report by EY called “Economic Contribution of the Venue-Based live music Industry in Australia”.

That same report noted that close to 60% of the total number of live music performances happened in a Bar, Pub or nightclub, mostly occurring on Friday and Saturday nights. Now, with these lockout laws in effect, these live shows cannot continue on as they do in other “International Cities” around the world, due to a loss in revenue from the lack of alcohol sales, which in turn affects the businesses ability to function, pay artists, pay staff, and eventually, stay open.

This is a loss of Billions in revenue from the music industry, hospitality industry, individual taxes, even right through to the taxi industry which has seen over 40% of it’s saturday and friday evening take slashed. That revenue, which your government now will no longer have (and will be hard-pressed to get back) will be further strained from the inevitable rise in unemployment and consequently the influx of people who will need to go onto welfare to survive.

This will, in turn affect me in the years to come as I will find myself paying more and more tax to cover the shortfall your government has been idle in fixing. I will see more homeless on the street, higher youth unemployment (which is my demographic) and worse still - less money for the state to fix the problems. Problems like the ones you’re creating now.

Whilst I have no issue with paying my fair share of tax, i do take issue with paying more tax to plug the hole in a budget which your government created - in direct violation of my trust, my confidence, my wishes as a taxpayer and citizen of this country, and as a resident of Sydney itself.

The lockout laws were a knee-jerk response to two horrific incidents, both of which i hope never to be repeated. But the solution, Mike, is not to destroy the industry where these events took place. The solution is to stop these events from occurring again - by having more police, and less dangerous people on the streets.

Critically, this issue is one fundamentally about freedom. It’s one about personal liberties. Which is, unfortunately for us in Australia, a bit of a grey area thanks to the lack of a Bill of Rights - something we are alone in lacking as a western democracy.

Realistically, and unfortunately, you have complete control over our freedoms in this state. Which is dangerous at best, and downright terrifying. You shouldn’t have that much power - but alas you do. So it is at this point i must reveal my inner nerd i mentioned before and pull a quote from one of my least favourite marvel story lines.

“With great power, comes great responsibility.”

And that isn’t just responsibility to the two families who lost their children in heinous and disgusting attacks. It’s not just to the casino owners or developers who donate money to your party. And it’s not just to those who voted for you. It’s to everyone. No matter how big, small, wealthy, poor or different they are. Everyone in a democratic society has the same say, and everyone has the same right to access and use the same liberties we sent men away to fight for.

Do you really think that enlisted dying on the beaches in Gallipoli, or in the French Battlefields like my great uncle, or those taken in the fall of Singapore, or even those who currently find themselves in the Middle East would fight for a government which inhibits the freedoms of it’s people? Do you think they went over there, so far away from home, to fight against tyranny and oppression to let your government do the same thing back home?

I would suggest that not only the two boys who were murdered recently in Sydney, but whole battalions and squads of dead Australian Soldiers would be turning over in their graves if they knew what was going on in what could easily be the Worlds Best City.

Premier, you have the ability to change that.

You have the ability to allow people as much freedom as they want. And right now, the people of Sydney are screaming for their freedoms back. They want to be treated like adults - like functioning members of society. They want to be treated how they are supposed to be treated in a western democracy.

And here’s how you can do it. Get rid of the stupid laws. Put more public transport on over the weekend - make it 24/7 to move people easier and faster. Put more police on the beat enforcing what they have to enforce - including policing the bouncers. Stop fighting the reputable establishments. Start fighting the problems at the heart of the issue - the minority who are causing the issues.

Don’t punish the rest of us for years to come just because of two people. That’s less than a millionth of a percent of the population. You’re going to destroy entire industries, and some argue you already have, for that amount of people. And it’s completely ridiculous.

Premier, no one wants this. Do the right thing. For all of us.

Regards

Dave Roberts