Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak about a petition that I launched on Change.org to fight against Labor's proposed lockout laws. It has received more than 5,000 signatures since Monday. These laws risk 6,000 jobs and $150 million to the Queensland economy. In Brisbane alone 1,700 jobs will be lost. That affects all our local security guards, cleaners, glassies, bartenders, musicians, DJs—and the list goes on. It is not just business owners; the flow-on effect will be huge. The entertainment industry of Brisbane is worth $435 million a year. It employs 16,000 people, and there are more than 7,200 licensed venues in Brisbane. All of this is at risk thanks to state Labor's short-sighted laws.

We know from a growing body of evidence that lockout laws have questionable results in reducing violence. We all oppose violence of any sort. Everyone deserves the right to have a safe night out. Everyone deserves to feel that they can go out freely. Violence of any kind is shocking, and it breaks all our hearts when we see this happen. But what we need is a proper solution to alcohol and drug fuelled violence. We need public education, community campaigns and awareness in high schools.

The vast majority of legislative restrictions introduced to minimize alcohol related harm have been squarely aimed at the on-premises market of pubs, clubs and bars, which represents only 13 per cent of alcohol consumption— (Time expired).