If the ACT wants to reduce late-night violence it should consider following measures introduced in Newcastle and parts of Sydney to reduce the availability of alcohol, says the father of Kings Cross one-punch victim Thomas Kelly.
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Mr Kelly died when, on a night out with friends in Sydney in 2012, he was randomly attacked by Kieran Loveridge, who punched him in the head. Mr Kelly's head hit the concrete in the fall and he later died in hospital. Loveridge is serving a minimum of 10 years' jail for the manslaughter. Mr Kelly's death led to a public outcry against alcohol-fuelled violence and was the catalyst for the introduction of controversial lockout laws in parts of NSW.
His father Ralph Kelly is hoping to bring the foundation set up in his son's memory to Canberra and other parts of the country, and says the ACT should look to follow NSW's example.
"When you lose a child, you go through grief and you become angry, especially because it's a homicide," Mr Kelly said. "So I started to meet as many people as I possibly could to work out what had happened to our society to make it so dangerous that you can't even go out."
Mr Kelly stressed the foundation did not have a position on lockout laws, but there was compelling evidence that reducing alcohol availability had led to a decrease in injuries and violence.
"There is anecdotal evidence that shows, if you look at the Sydney model, which has been running for over two years, that for every hour you close a venue it reduces violence by up to 20 per cent," Mr Kelly said. "We've seen significant decreases in the violence across Kings Cross and also the CBD, significant decreases in violence because of the last drinks situation, so it definitely works."
But the laws have also resulted in a significant backlash in Sydney, and similar moves in the ACT have also proven unpopular with many hospitality businesses. The Keep Sydney Open campaign has led to huge demonstrations against the laws, and a similar Keep Canberra Open campaign has gathered significant social media support in response to the ACT government's plans to increase licensing fees for venues wanting to stay open late. ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has already ruled out implementing lockout laws in Canberra, despite calls to do so after a string of violent early-hour one-punch attacks in the capital.
But Mr Kelly urged the ACT government to reconsider, saying immediate action was required to bring about behavioural change in Australia's drinking culture.
"We need behavioural change, our foundation is not about not drinking, and it is about creating a responsible drinking culture and making the right choices, but also understanding very much the health implications excessive consumption of alcohol can have" he said.
Mr Kelly said the foundation's initiatives, such as Safe Spaces and Take Kare programs, were already showing results and volunteers have had more than 20,000 interactions with young people in the past 12 months to prevent a night out turning to tragedy.
"We liken it to a sliding door moment, like Tom's just walking along the street, your life can change if you've got a violent person walking the other way," Mr Kelly said. "We are very keen to include areas like Safe Spaces in places like Canberra and other states."
He said there needed to be discussion with stakeholders such as ACT Policing and the ACT government before the program could to operate, something he was keen to explore.
A spokesman for Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the ACT Government would be open to discussions on bringing the foundation to Canberra.
"We agree that there is a role for more education and more direct engagement with young people on enjoying alcohol responsibly," the spokesman said. "We would welcome further discussions with the foundation should they make contact with the government."
