Mr Hardie, 25, was enjoying a rare night out earlier this year, dancing with his mate's girlfriends in a Civic nightclub after a quiet dinner out.

The next thing he knew, he was hit twice in the head by two strangers.

The first punch connected with the back of his head, and a second hit him from the side as he tried to turn around.

Mr Hardie was out cold before he could even lay eyes on his attackers.

He was unconscious on the dance floor for 14 minutes, while bouncers took those responsible outside.

''We were just out having a good night,'' Mr Hardie said,

''There was nothing to provoke it.''

His next memory was of waking in an ambulance on his way to the Canberra Hospital.

Luckily, he escaped without permanent injury, although the young forklift mechanic was left with a lingering concussion for two weeks.

Mr Hardie, like many victims of drunken assaults, found getting a just outcome was nearly impossible.

His attackers had not been identified and were kicked out of the nightclub before any police involvement.

There was no CCTV footage of the dance floor, and Mr Hardie said police appeared less than willing to take the matter further.

''Because I was hit from behind and I couldn't identify the person, [the police] weren't going to follow it up, and that's really annoying,'' he said.

''Who doesn't have a CCTV camera on a dance floor in a nightclub, for a $200 camera?''

''[Licensed venues] just fill people with piss and take their money, and if anything ever goes wrong it's 'see you later, it's not our problem'.''

Even getting compensation to help him cover the $900 ambulance bill was a struggle.

Mr Hardie no longer goes out in Canberra, viewing a night in Civic as not worth the risk.

He believes it's the nightclubs that should be held accountable for their role in the violence. ''They've got no responsibility, they just take advantage of people,'' he said.

''They just fill them full of alcohol, let anything happen, and then they're free to go,'' he said.

Mr Hardie suggested clubs who could not identify offenders, or failed to detain them for police, should be responsible for the ongoing medical costs of victims.

The 25-year-old sought the help of Victim Support ACT, and was able to obtain some compensation for the assault.

But it's the unknowns that still frustrate Mr Hardie.

''I think that was the hardest thing, not knowing who the person was.''