Nightlife curfew takes back seat to drugs crackdown Ice, also called shabu, crystal, or crystal meth. The government's bikie laws have proven a boon for opponents of the controversial nightclub curfew proposal, which has been put off until later this year. But Premier Campbell Newman said the gang crack down had seen a ripple effect in the state's drug trade which he hoped would help address and reduce nightlife violence. Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie had asked an expert panel to overhaul the state's liquor licensing regulations. They returned with a proposal to shut down all pubs and clubs, outside casinos, at 3am, and instigate a 1am lockout. The proposal, which was meant to go to Cabinet by the end of last year, faced fierce opposition from Brisbane's nightclub proponents and divided the LNP. But on Monday, Mr Newman appeared to indicate his government's gang crackdown, which was one of the reasons the curfew issue was shuffled down the agenda, may address that issue for them. "I am not saying alcohol doesn't cause problems," Mr Newman said. [But] it is alcohol with drugs like ice, it is alcohol with people who have been taking steroids, so that is the difference between what happens today and what happened say 30 or 40 years ago in our nightspots. As the premier of NSW pointed out the other day, the young man who was assaulted quite viciously and has sadly died, was assaulted by someone around 9pm...9:30 that night...not in the wee small hours, so closing hours wouldn't have been a factor there. Some sort of other factor may have been at work. Earlier in the day, Mr Newman said the impact of the government's laws had been trickling down the crime ladder. Since we've had the crackdown armed robberies on the Gold Coast have almost halved. That's because people who manufacture and sell drugs create all these ripple effects - criminal effects - in the community," he told Fairfax Radio 4BC. So people who have been held up at a 7-11 or been burgled, their favourite necklace that was left from you know their great aunt or their grandma or their mum has gone, that's because someone's stealing to feed a habit, a drug habit. And these impacts spread throughout our community, there's impact on the health system, treating people who are addicted to ice. The so-called alcohol fuelled violence, it's not alcohol-fuelled violence, it's drugs like ice and illegal steroids combined with alcohol that is causing the problems that we're seeing around the nation. So that's why we're doing these things. Acting Attorney-General David Crisafulli could not say when the government would again address the curfew proposal, only saying there would be a "package of reforms" announced in the coming months. But he echoed Mr Newman's assertion that the anti-gang laws could help ease the violence. "There's no sugar coating this, the problem is bad and getting worse and that's why we shouldn't be deterred from cracking down on steroids and amphetamines and those who peddle them," he said in a statement. From Townsville to the Gold Coast and everywhere else, people have a right to enjoy a night out. Every Queenslander deserves to go out and enjoy themselves safely and our reforms will include tougher penalties for patrons who don't do the right thing, licensees to be better equipped to ensure safety of their patrons and the continuation of high-vis policing in these entertainment areas. While the Drink Safe Precincts appear to have had some success, the Ombudsman found it's been hampered by the knee-jerk way that Labor set it up. That's why we've extended the trial while we put together this package of reforms that will tackle alcohol related violence.