Policy & Civic Health · Indicator 2
Nighttime governance
What this indicator asks
Is there a body for the night in Sydney that people can approach, and how lasting and powerful is it? Does the night sector have a voice that speaks for culture?
63.5/ 100 · Sydney
Sydney has a night office set up in state law: the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner, with its own budget. Its remit is the night economy, and it has no role in licensing or planning decisions.
Culture has a seat on the state’s 24-Hour Economy Advisory Council. The council advises, and does not decide.
An expert said the reforms came from the community campaign against the lockout laws, not from government, and that the City of Sydney is closest to the community but feels unable to effect change:
“We’re the closest to the community, and so I would argue that we’re the most important, because when things go wrong we hear about it first. But we also have the least amount of power to make big changes.”
We looked at four issues: whether there is a body for the night, how lasting it is, what powers it has, and whether the sector has an organised voice for culture.