It really is Christmas when the bottle shops stay open until 11pm! The Baird government are rushing to implement its response to the lockout laws with the arrival of the festive season, allowing people in NSW to buy alcohol up until 11pm. Justice Minister Troy Grant also shared that small bar patronage will go up from 60 to 100 people as of the 16th of December.

Although these aren’t the changes that everyone is most concerned about, with many protests about the lockout laws in Sydney killing the nightlife. Minister Grant has said that these changes will allow communities around NSW to benefit from later trading hours due to the festive season.

“We have brought forward these reforms so communities and businesses across NSW can take advantage of later trading times during the busy summer holiday period,” Mr Grant said.

However, for those of you interested in the roll-back of the existing lockout restrictions, you’ll be pleased to hear that you get a whole half hour more of partying. The laws are being changed from 1.30am to 2am, and there’s also the relaxation of the last drinks limit from 3am to 3.30am. This will not occur before the end of the year, which means that it won’t be applicable for this New Year’s Eve festivities.