Construction Magnate, Venue Owner, And All-Round Top Bloke May Save Us All

Let’s all stand for a moment of silence. In the early hours of Friday morning, the concept of fun began its slow, drawn-out, bureaucratic death in Queensland. The first stages of the new lockout laws were rolled out across the state, meaning that as of right now, all pubs and bars across the state are closing at 2am (or 3am in entertainment precincts like Fortitude Valley). And don’t even think about getting yourself anything resembling a shot after the stroke of midnight, Cinderella.

However, in the darkest times, the light shines the brightest, and it looks like we may have a hero; the one that we deserve and the one we need right now. Scott Hutchinson, who you may know Hutchinson Constructions (Queensland’s largest private construction firm) and The Triffid, has stepped up to the plate. Hutchinson is saying that he is willing to “bankroll whatever is necessary” for a campaign to get the state government to rollback the lockout laws.

Hutchinson has been a huge supporter of live music long before he and former Powderfinger bassist John Collins established The Triffid. The venue doesn’t operate under a late-night license, so Hutchinson doesn’t stand to make any more money from a repealing of the laws, instead claiming that he’s in it for the music. This guy is Christmas coming early, people.

“Brisbane’s a real incubator for music at the moment and they didn’t consult us at all about this, they didn’t consult the music industry one bit, they didn’t care less,” Hutchinson said, speaking with The Guardian.

“I help the Labor party a lot and I’ve been a member of the CFMEU for nearly two decades and most of them are not in favour of it… And the people they’re treating so shabbily at the moment are their supporters, which is generally the music industry, and the arts in general leans towards Labor.

This potential salvation comes just after the Queensland Police Minister, Bill Byrne said he is open to reconsidering the laws at some point in the future.

“I have an open mind to all sorts of propositions from time to time. But right now we want to see the measures that we have fought very hard for, that we’ve taken through parliamentary debate, we have had a full engagement with the community on, I want to see those measures brought in and see the results we expect,” Byrne said.

There was even talk that if the current measures showed a marked decrease in violence, that there would be considerations from the Palaszczuk government to halt the implementation of 1am lockouts, which are set to rollout statewide in February 2017.

Meanwhile there has been at least one report of a major violence incident in a Fortitude Valley nightclub since the beginning of the restrictions, with a man and a woman taken to hospital in the early hours of Monday morning after being attacked by another bar patron. It is understood that both are in a stable condition.

In Melbourne, meanwhile, the government and venues are working together quite well. Imagine that! The Good Music Neighbours scheme is helping music venues soundproof, not only quelling complaints, but encouraging expansions.

If you’re somehow still on the fence about the lockout laws, take a look at our story on how they might effect musicians and bands, our story on what the future will look like under lockouts, or look at Friendlyjordies video about similar lockout laws in Sydney below.