Baird defends Facebook post on lockout laws

NSW Premier Mike Baird has rejected claims his department deleted thousands of critical comments on his Facebook post about the state's controversial lockout laws.

NSW Premier Mike Baird defends facebook post

NSW Premier Mike Baird speaks at the at the 32nd Australia Day Lunch in Sydney, Friday, Jan. 22, 2016. Source: AAP

The NSW Premier Mike Baird says many of the negative comments responding to his 463-word post were not constructive.

"What we want to do in relation to the policy is have it reviewed and I'm open to what those findings bring forward," he said, referring to a review of the legislation being conducted this month.

The premier's lengthy Facebook post on Tuesday followed a recent backlash against the laws, which require central Sydney venues to turn people away after 1.30am, serve last drinks by 3am and ban the sale of takeaway alcohol after 10pm.
"It is going to take a lot for me to change my mind on a policy that is so clearly improving this city," Mr Baird said, while referring to recent state crime statistics that show a dramatic drop in alcohol-fuelled violence.

He also rejected the "hysterical claims" made by Matt Barrie, chief executive of job-seeking website Freelancer, who posted a scathing opinion piece about the laws on social networking site LinkedIn on February 3.

The article, "Would the last person in Sydney please turn the lights out?" has since been viewed more than 900,000 times and was republished on major news sites.
On Wednesday, Mr Baird acknowledged there were many "different views" on the controversial legislation that was imposed in 2014 after the one-punch deaths of teenagers Daniel Christie and Thomas Kelly.

"I'm just making a point that I am very happy on where we're at but if there are things we can do to improve it or enhance it or we've overlooked ... well, that's what the review will consider," he said.


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Published 10 February 2016 3:16pm
Updated 10 February 2016 3:20pm
Source: AAP


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