The trial suspension of lockouts and late-night booze restrictions in inner-city pubs and clubs did not lead to a spike in alcohol violence, but the Newcastle CBD is still a hotspot for such offences.
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Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures for the year to September show the number of alcohol-related non-domestic assaults fell from 253 in pre-COVID 2019 to 207 in 2022 in the Newcastle, Newcastle West and Hamilton postcodes.
A government committee led by upper house One Nation MP Mark Latham oversaw the one-year trial, which removed 1.30am lockouts at about 20 venues, extended trading to 3.30am and allowed venues to sell shots and cocktails after 10pm.
Liquor & Gaming NSW says the temporary conditions in place during the trial have continued since it ended on October 17.
The trial period and the BOCSAR data capture several months of a COVID outbreak in Newcastle last summer. The trial was suspended for two months in August 2021 due to a lockdown.
Monthly BOCSAR figures for the wider Newcastle and Lake Macquarie area also suggest the rate of alcohol violence did not rise in the six months to September 2022, a period free of lockdowns and high case numbers.
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The number of alcohol-related non-domestic assaults in those six months was 792, down from 888 in the corresponding six months in 2019.
BOCSAR has cautioned against drawing robust conclusions from its recent data as it is difficult to disentangle the effect of COVID on crime from other interventions.
Rates of offending in most major crime categories, including non-domestic alcohol violence, were lower across NSW last year compared with pre-COVID levels.
Mr Latham publicly declared the trial a success in August, two months before it ended, telling NBN that "Newcastle now has its lowest ever rate of non-domestic alcohol-related violence".
A Liquor & Gaming NSW spokesperson said on Monday that the trial had ended in October with a "detailed independent evaluation".
"The evaluation assessed a wide range of data and community and stakeholder views on the impact of the trial on venue patronage, employment, business turnover, noise complaints and levels of alcohol-related violence and offensive behaviour," the spokesperson said.
"In December 2022 the trial's steering committee endorsed the evaluation report.
"Liquor and Gaming NSW is preparing material to assist the Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority in its assessment of decisions to be taken in light of the report."
The spokesperson said the suspended conditions would continue untilILGA had considered the evaluation report and "made a determination".
Minutes from the trial committee's April meeting show the Newcastle City police district reporting "low" rates of violence inside and outside licensed venues.
"Alcohol-related non-domestic violence assault rates are still comparatively high, however the number linked to licensed premises is low. Incident rate is also much lower than in previous years," the minutes say.
Newcastle City police on Monday referred inquiries about the trial's impact to the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade.
Customer Service Minister Victor Dominello, whose portfolio no longer includes the alcohol industry, foreshadowed in March 2021 that the trial would "set the scene" for ILGA to consider a permanent end to the so-called "Newcastle solution" restrictions on a case-by-case basis.
Newcastle anti-violence campaigner Tony Brown said on Monday that it was difficult to draw "unequivocal" conclusions about the crime data due to the ongoing effect of COVID.
He said the city still had one of the highest rates of alcohol violence in the state.
BOCSAR statistics show Newcastle local government area has an annual rate of such offences of 203.2 per 100,000 people, which is twice the state average and three times higher than in neighbouring Lake Macquarie.
Newcastle's rate of non-domestic alcohol violence is significantly higher than in Wollongong (129.2 per 100,000), Central Coast (139.7), Maitland (93.8), Parramatta (52.2) and Blacktown (63).
It has the highest rate of such offending in a metropolitan area outside the Sydney local government area (454.3 per 100,000).
The then Liquor Administration Board applied special licence restrictions to 14 inner-city venues in 2008 in response to high levels of alcohol violence in Newcastle.
ILGA has imposed similar restrictions on new venues applying for liquor licences in the CBD since 2008.
Police, health and community representatives say the stricter controls are responsible for the steep fall in alcohol crime over the past 15 years.
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Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
