Queenslanders reject early closing of pubs and clubs to tackle alcohol violence NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell has urged clubs to be 'responsible' in dealing with alcohol-related violence. QUEENSLANDERS have overwhelmingly rejected the idea of closing pubs and clubs early to tackle alcohol and drug fuelled violence. Premier Campbell Newman has been flooded with more than 7000 responses to his call for people to tell him the best way to combat the problem. The Courier-Mail can reveal roughly 45 per cent of those who had responded supported tougher penalties for the perpetrators of drunken and drug-fuelled violence and other offences in pub and club precincts. "Only four per cent support earlier closing times," he said. Seven per cent want tougher penalties and earlier closing times (and) 21 per cent were opposed to either earlier closing times or lockouts. State Cabinet is poised to make a decision on how it will deal with violence in entertainment precincts by March and Mr Newman said they could go one of two ways - restricting trading hours or enforcing a zero-tolerance crackdown on alcohol-related violence. He favours the zero tolerance approach but called for further feedback before a decision is made and Queenslanders responded, gazumping the 300-plus submissions received when the government initially asked for input last year. Mr Newman said nine per cent of respondents also indicated they wanted the State to provide more transport options for revellers while seven per cent wanted tougher penalties for venues who flouted the rules when it came to the responsible service of alcohol. "The younger people who go out to the precincts, it is clear that they are very strongly against changes to trading hours," he said. People who are not in the night life and party scene, they are more likely to back not only a zero tolerance approach but also they're saying that they want to see the hours curtailed. A number of people opposed to earlier closing times and lockouts expressed concerned about the impact on hospitality jobs. Other issued raised included tougher sentencing for offenders through the courts, the need for an education program for young people and calls for a crackdown on drugs. The Premier said he would be raising the first tranche of responses during Tuesday's Cabinet meeting. "We will be scooping up all this feedback and we intend to wrap this up in March with a clear policy announcement," Mr Newman said. Opposition Leader Annastacia Palaszczuk criticised the government's decision to seek further feedback, announcing her plans to roll back trading hours to 1am if Labor regains power at the 2015 election.