SHUTTING the doors early isn't a new concept for licensed venues in Wagga - it's been part of the pub culture since 2001.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And, with statistics working in favour of the 1.30am lockout here, the NSW government has demanded metropolitan venues do the same.
It's one of a raft of measures - announced by Premier Barry O'Farrell on Tuesday - which aim to deter unruly behaviour across the state and prevent fatal one-punch attacks.
New laws have also been unveiled which see bottle shops forced to close by 10pm, higher on-the-spot fines for disobeying a police move-on order and new mandatory minimum sentences for violent assaults involving drugs or alcohol.
Anyone who is convicted of a "king hit", and under the influence at the time, will be slapped with a jail sentence of at least eight years.
The measures have been welcomed by hoteliers in the city, who say they will complement similar strategies already in place.
Publican and Wagga district secretary of the Australian Hotels Association (AHA), Greg Williams, yesterday reiterated comments he made to The Daily Advertiser recently, saying it was all about "local solutions for local problems".
"Overall, it's an attempt and a step in the right direction ... I don't think there is a silver bullet," Mr Williams said.
"Sentencing as a deterrent (is needed), along with education (and) eventually we'll get back to normal"
As for the minimum sentence given to people convicted under new one-punch laws, those recently labelled "cowards", Mr Williams said it was a start.
"I don't think they've gone hard enough," he said.
Mr Williams also isn't sure a 1.30am lockout and 3am closure of venues in entertainment precincts, such as Kings Cross, will work.
"It just pushes the problem somewhere else," Mr Williams said.
"I don't see what that's going to achieve."
Under the proposed laws, police would be given new powers to conduct alcohol and drug testing on anyone suspected of committing an alcohol or drug-fuelled assault.
That move has been backed by secretary of the Wagga Liquor Accord and owner of the William Farrer Hotel, David Barnhill.
Mr Barnhill has previously voiced that there was more to crime prevention than just limiting drinks and locking doors.
He said most bottle shops in Wagga already closed at or before 10pm and other venues were licensed until 3am.
"Every area is different, for Wagga people it's nothing new," Mr Barnhill said of the new laws.
"(The measures are) already happening in our jurisdiction.
"We're all against violence ... we're all about having a nice, vibrant, safe nightlife."
