Doctors call for Perth lockout laws

A violent weekend brawl in Perth has sparked calls for Sydney-style lockout laws.

A violent brawl in Perth captured on video has sparked calls from the state's doctors to follow Sydney's lead and introduce lockout laws.

The footage was taken in Northbridge, Perth's main entertainment precinct, at about 4am on Sunday.

It shows drunken men violently throwing chairs, tables and glass bottles, and one man even ripping a brick out of the ground.

State Opposition Leader Mark McGowan compared the scene to something out of Detroit or LA in the US.

Lockout laws have forced Sydney nightclubs to stop letting people in after 1.30am and to stop serving alcohol by 3am.

The laws were brought in to combat one-punch deaths and violence but have divided people, with opponents including music and entertainment bodies saying it has driven iconic venues out of business and supporters saying it has reduced assaults.

The Australian Medical Association's WA president Michael Gannon said while he risked being called a wowser, the statistics showed the laws had worked in NSW in reducing violence, including presentations in emergency departments and injuries and deaths from alcohol-related incidents.

It had also encouraged families back into the city, he said.

One-third of Perth's emergency department presentations on Friday and Saturday nights are drunk people, Dr Gannon said.

"This idea that being able to pile in the booze in some bloodhouse until 5-6am is part of a normal society - we have got to get past that," he told 6PR radio.

"The evidence exists that the longer the liquor venues are open, the more trouble you see.

"It is not draconian, wowserism or threatening in any way the vibrancy of a city to say that by 3am it might be time to consider heading for your cot."

The Australian Hotels Association's WA chief executive Bradley Woods rejected the need for more restrictive lockout laws.

He said there were sufficient laws in place in Perth that required venues to stop serving alcohol 30 minutes before they closed.

Pubs and clubs could shut or stop serving alcohol earlier if they wanted to and it was better they had the flexibility to decide that, he said.

"Police don't have the resources to be policing parties in the suburbs at two, three or five in the morning and it is far better to have young people congregate in places where they can have some control and responsible supervision," Mr Woods said.

Police Minister Liza Harvey said Northbridge was far safer than a decade ago, with assaults down 36 per cent since the coalition government was elected in 2008.


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Source: AAP


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