April 2010
News: The cutting edge of fear
...A step change in the debate around assaults and alcohol came last December when BOCSAR released what has come to be widely viewed as a landmark study on what happens to violent crime when tough liquor trading restrictions are imposed... In March 2008, after complaints by the NSW Police Force against some venues... the state Liquor Administration Board introduced significant restrictions on hotel trading hours for 14 hotels in the Newcastle CBD...
In the year that followed, the authors found that assaults after dark fell a staggering 29 per cent in Newcastle. Incidents of disorderly conduct fell 46 per cent. According to BOCSAR, almost 28 per cent of assaults in NSW occur between midnight and 3am on weekends...
One of the study authors, Kyp Kypri, from the school of medicine and public health at the University of Newcastle, says the Keneally government in NSW has been shown conclusively what happens to violent crime when tight restrictions are imposed on pubs. "This study and its policy implications are big," he says, echoing another co-author, Craig Jones. "This is a very interesting case of how evidence is used in public policy. Here we have a clear case of good evidence and an obvious failure by the state government to act on that."...
Read the full article (Source: The Australian)
Update: Sydney Sustainable Markets - Farmers Market @ Taylor Square commences 1st May
Sydney Sustainable Markets' inaugural weekly Farmers Market at Taylor Square is on Saturday 1st May from 8am – 1pm.
Expect to discover seasonal fruit and vegetables (organic and low chemical inputs), free range poultry and eggs, rare breed meats, fish, hand made pasta, artisan cheeses, condiments, organic sourdough bread, olive oil, honey, flowers, herbs and much more.
The organisers are aiming for a plastic bag free market, so please BYO market bags. Also – if you have any surplus green-style shopping bags, they're starting a collection point at the Market Information stall – so please drop them off so someone else can make use of them.
Get Involved: DA - Oxford Art Factory - Continue trading to 6am on permanent basis
Oxford Art Factory, located at 38-46 Oxford Street Darlinghurst, has lodged a Development Application (D/2006/645/D) with Sydney City Council requesting continued trading until 6am on a permanent basis. The applicant is attempting to bypass one of the main components of the Council's late night trading strategy: ongoing trial periods for extended trading.
Get Involved: Smarter, Greener Apartment Buildings Forum - 4th May
Tenants, Building Managers and Owners Corporations - Learn how to make your apartment building smarter, greener and cost effective.
Tuesday 4 May
Customs House, Circular Quay
6.00 – 8.30pm.
Refreshments provided.
The Australian Conservation Foundation’s GreenHome program, in partnership with the City of Sydney, will present the latest sustainable ideas and solutions for apartments at a special forum at Customs House on the 4 May.
Update: Sydney Sustainable Markets – Farmers Market @ Taylor Square, start date re-scheduled to early May 2010
A fantastic collection of farmers and artisan producers are preparing for the launch of SSM’s Farmers Market at Taylor Square, Darlinghurst. The proposed start date has been re-scheduled to early May 2010, pending final approvals. Please check the website www.sydneysustainablemarkets.org for notification of exact market start date.
News: Police warn females following alleged sexual assaults - Surry Hills LAC
Police attached to Surry Hills Local Area Command have issued a warning for females to be aware of their personal safety following two alleged sexual assaults.
News: Close bars early to stop alcohol-fuelled violence
In a piece in today's Sydney Morning Herald Hugh Mackay - pysychologist, social researcher and writer - presents a case for earlier closing times.
"... You don't change a culture by preaching. You don't get people to stop drinking and driving by asking them to. You don't get smokers to be more considerate of others by appealing to their sense of decency.
To change an established pattern of behaviour, you need to examine the circumstances giving rise to it. Behaviour changes only when its context changes. We changed the drink-driving culture by introducing random breath-testing. We changed the tobacco culture by making cigarettes more expensive and by severely restricting the locations where smoking is permitted
Acknowledging there's a public health and safety problem does not solve it. This is not an ''attitude'' problem. Cultures, like individuals, don't usually change from within. Nothing changes until we modify the circumstances that encourage the problem ...."