A throng of revellers ringing in the New Year had prompted the ACT Attorney-General to consider changing liquor licensing laws in Canberra's suburbs, The Canberra Times reported on this day 26 years ago.
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Terry Connolly said Manuka "really is becoming a magnet" for drunk people late at night, and the ACT government would need to look at footpath drinking regulations and limiting trading in Civic after 2am.
"A problem is emerging in the early hours of the morning ... and it is getting a bit of a reputation for under-age drinking. We will target that, cracking down as we have in Civic," Mr Connolly said.
Police made several arrests, including two men accused with stabbing another man with a broken bottle. The victim was taken to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
Police had closed Franklin Street in Manuka despite resistance from the ACT government; traders along the popular Manuka strip had pushed for the street to be closed. A police spokesman said despite the lack of government endorsement of the move, leaving the street open would have been "dangerous, more than anything".