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The New South Wales Government will relax late night trading laws and lift a freeze on new liquor licences across Sydney's CBD, as part of a plan to reinvigorate the city's night time economy post-coronavirus.
The state says changes will allow venues like pubs, clubs, hotels and bottle shops to adjust service offerings to meet consumer demand.
Changes to late night trading will also allow new venues to open up, with the state to remove a freeze on new liquor licence applications.
It is expected that the NSW Government will allow applications for these new licences later in 2020. The initial licence freeze was implemented as part of the State's measures to target alcohol-related harm in areas with high concentrations of liquor businesses.
The freeze completely prevented the granting of new licences for hotels, nightclubs, registered clubs and liquor shops across Sydney's CBD and Kings Cross.
Minister for Customer Service Victor Dominello said trading restrictions for existing venues ended on 1 June 2020, and the NSW Government is working with stakeholders on a framework for approving new licences.
"In some CBD locations, this will be the first time in 11 years that applications for new venues will be considered. These changes will kick-start a new era in Sydney's 24-hour economy," Dominello said.
NSW is calling upon the public and industry to have a say in how Sydney's 24-hour economy will be reformed.
Those interested in providing feedback to the NSW Government can do so here.
Updated at 10:46am AEST on 16 June 2020.
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