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The new advocate for Canberra's doctors said he was surprised and disappointed Chief Minister Andrew Barr ruled out lockout laws in the face of evidence of their success. Professor Steve Robson, who takes up the presidency of the Australian Medical Association ACT branch next month, called on the Labor leader to visit an emergency department in the early morning to understand the benefits Canberra could enjoy with extra controls on bars and clubs. "I'm a little bit surprised by the comment and by the misinterpretation of the clear evidence that when lockouts came in, particularly in Newcastle, there was a marked reduction in alcohol-related violence and violent injuries presenting in the emergency department," he said. "There are big pressures on emergency waiting times in the ACT and it's so difficult having drunk people and victims of violence there." Mr Barr said on Thursday "prohibitions, curfews and the like tend not to be particularly successful". He said the response to late-night violence in Sydney and Queensland had been heavy-handed and had had "quite detrimental impacts in many other areas", ruling out such "dramatic" changes in Canberra, where the government was "conscious of the need to work with all stakeholders". Professor Robson rejected the view lockout laws were an overreaction. "I think the heavy-handed comment could be applied equally to the heavy hand of people effected by alcohol," he said. An obstetrician at the Canberra Hospital, Professor Robson said the idea lock-out laws were an unreasonable brake on the night-time economy was questionable. "I am very hesitant to take my family into city areas of Canberra at night and I feel a lot of people are like that," he said. "If there was more attention paid to [those issues] you would probably have more people going to town." Last week police released footage of another one-punch attack in Tuggeranong which occurred about 12.30am, which follows two videos of one-punch attacks over summer, one outside a convenience store in the city about 3am and the other outside a pub in Greenway also about 3am. Professor Robson said lockout laws would be popular among the community, reflecting a decline of more than 40 per cent in alcohol-related assaults in Sydney's CBD since their passing and a significant reduction of weekend emergency room presentations. "The polls show two-thirds of families in NSW are in favour of the laws," he said. Lockout laws in the Sydney city centre ban takeaway alcohol sales after 10pm and people entering venues after 1.30am, with last drinks at 3am. A large number of Canberra late-night venues close at 4am.

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