NSW Premier Mike Baird has responded to recent criticism of Sydney's lock-out laws, claiming the city is 'more vibrant than ever'.

Last week a scathing post by businessman Matt Barrie about the controversial laws went viral, slamming politicians for 'destroying the soul of the city.'

Mr Baird reacted to the 'hysteria' with his own strongly-worded post on Tuesday, saying that the new measures had seen violence in central Sydney had decreased by 42.2 per cent.

However Sydneysiders have been quick to mock the NSW Premier, saying the laws have destroyed the nightlife while the casino's are conveniently exempt from the laws.

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Mike Baird (pictured with his wife, Kerryn, enjoying a glass of champagne to welcome in the New Year) has been criticised for an Facebook post defending lock-out laws blamed for destroying Sydney's nightlife

NSW Premier Mike Baird has responded to criticism of the state's controversial 'lock-out laws'

He posted this statement on Facebook denying the laws had 'destroyed' Sydney, saying instead it was 'more vibrant than ever'

'This is the greatest city in the world... Long Live Sydney', Mr Baird finished his post

'Let’s start with a statistic about Sydney’s nightlife that matters: alcohol related assaults have decreased by 42.2 per cent in the CBD since we introduced the "lock-out laws",' the NSW Premier wrote on his Facebook page.

'And they’re down by over 60 per cent in Kings Cross.

'But… didn’t we achieve this by shutting down the whole city and killing its nightlife?

'Well, one last statistic: the number of small bars in Sydney has more than doubled in the same time period,' the post continued.

Mr Baird then addressed the 'main concerns' that people seem to have with the laws: 'you can’t drink till dawn any more and you can’t impulse-buy a bottle of white after 10pm'.

He said he understood the 'inconvenience', but denied Australia was a 'international embarrassment'.

'Assaults are down by 42.2 per cent,' he wrote. 'And there is nothing embarrassing about that.'

The NSW Premier wrote that the laws were introduced to combat 'drinking ghettos', and said that a review with 'hard data' was imminent.

The NSW Premier wrote that the laws were introduced to combat 'drinking ghettos'

However he was quickly slammed by angry commenters who disagreed that the laws were in fact a good thing

Many called into question why the casinos were exempt from the lock-out and last drinks regulations

Others suggested the laws should be enforced on a case-by-case basis

'Now some, who wish to define our city by one street on Kings Cross, make the hysterical claim that Sydney is dead,' Mr Baird wrote.

'They couldn't be more wrong. This is the greatest city in the world and it is now safer and more vibrant than ever.

'Long Live Sydney,' his post finished.

However many NSW and Sydney residents have not taken the premier's side on the issue, calling into question the fact that casinos are exempt from the tough new laws.

'I'd like to know the statistic for alcohol related assaults in the neighbouring suburbs such as Newton. I feel like the problem hasn't been addressed just pushed to outer suburbs,' Travis commented.

'Star often appears on 'most violent venues' lists, yet is permitted to serve alcohol 24/7. If the government is genuinely concerned about curbing violence (and gambling addiction too, for that matter), then surely the casino would be included in the lock-out area,' James wrote.

'SOME THOUGHTS ON "LOCK-OUT LAWS": PREMIER MIKE BAIRD Let’s start with a statistic about Sydney’s nightlife that matters: alcohol related assaults have decreased by 42.2 per cent in the CBD since we introduced the “lock-out laws”. And they’re down by over 60 per cent in Kings Cross. But… didn’t we achieve this by shutting down the whole city and killing its nightlife? Well, one last statistic: the number of small bars in Sydney has more than doubled in the same time period. There has been a growing hysteria this week about nightlife in Sydney. 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. 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. From the outset, these laws have been about fixing a serious problem. Violence had spiralled out of control, people were literally being punched to death in the city, and there were city streets too dangerous to stroll down on a Friday night. The community was rightly outraged. I was personally outraged. I met face to face with the families of victims. You don’t need to see that sort of pain too often to realise there is a problem that needs fixing. And the Government was determined to act. We introduced laws to curb violence and to eliminate drinking ghettos by redistributing the nightlife across the city, making the whole city more vibrant. Now, some have suggested these laws are really about moralising. They are right. These laws are about the moral obligation we have to protect innocent people from drunken violence. Doctors right across the city are now telling us that they are seeing far less emergency room presentations on the weekends. Transport workers are telling us that the trains are safer. Small bars and restaurants are opening across Sydney. And residents across the city, particularly women, are telling us they feel safer walking home at night. At this stage, some of the evidence is anecdotal. But lots of hard data is starting to come in. And it is all telling a similar story. Over the coming months a detailed review into the effects of the lock-out laws will be undertaken. I await this work with interest. But as I’ve said before, it is going to take a lot for me to change my mind on a policy that is so clearly improving this city. Now some, 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. Long Live Sydney. Advertisement

'But no! Lock-out laws may have there place, but if they are to be enforced, they should be on a case-by-case basis - why not apply the laws to the venues that actually have issues, rather all venues in a particular area,' his post finished.

'Hundreds of people have lost jobs because of a few drunk idiots...how about we talk about that statistic? The drag culture is less vibrant, statistics on that? Good selection to suit the purpose of your argument only,' Morgan posted.

It comes less than a week after a long rant accusing Sydney of 'regressing into the dark ages' due to the new policies making drastic changes to the city's nightlife and 'destroying' local businesses, went viral online.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews also chimed in to slam Sydney’s lockout laws on Thursday, tweeting a link to the essay with the line: 'Sydney has lockout laws. Melbourne has 24 hour public transport on weekends.'