I don’t think there’s anyone in Sydney who was surprised to learn that our night-time economy is important but underdeveloped.

The analysis by Deloitte Access Economics (released yesterday) which showed that economic activity after dark in Sydney is worth $27 billion a year, supports more than 230,000 jobs but could be far bigger, reflects what we’ve been saying at the City of Sydney since well before the lockout laws were introduced.

The fact is NSW is not doing nightlife right in Sydney. We’ve gone from one extreme to another. From one short-sighted policy to the next.

"Keep Sydney Open" rally to protest against the recently renewed lockout laws in 2016. Credit:Peter Rae

Short-sighted policies that at one time left police officers needing spare clothes to deal with the blood soaked brawls on their shift and thousands of people stranded at 3am in Kings Cross, drunk and unable to get home because trains stopped running before the clubs and pubs shut down.