Patrons kicked out of one Wollongong venue will have to call it a night with a new initiative rolled out to prohibit unruly revellers from exiting one venue and re-entering another.
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The 'barred from one, barred from all' campaign is a joint initiative of the Wollongong Liquor Accord, with 15 licenced venues participating, including The Illawarra Hotel, Dicey Rileys, Pepes on the Beach and Mr Crown.
Bans can range from 24 hours to months, and increase depending on the severity of the conduct.
Venue representatives will coordinate with each other via a Whatsapp group to share which patrons have been turfed out.
The initiative coincides with the removal of density limits and the return of singing and dancing in NSW.
Illawarra Hotel publican Ryan Atchinson said that this meant it was the right time for venues to come together and prevent bad behaviour.
"There's going to be a lot more people around, and we need to be a lot more organised as licensed venues to protect ourselves but also to protect the average punter," Mr Atchinson said.
Figures from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research show that non-domestic violence related assaults have been on the decline in Wollongong and the Wollongong LGA is below the state average.
Steve Newell, chair of the Wollongong Liquor Accord said the program hoped to stop unruly revellers getting out of hand.
"We're trying to get in front of things, so small issues don't become big issues."
The 'barred from one, barred from all' campaign is being supported by local police, said acting superintendent Brad Ainsworth.
"Patrons who are going to play up at one venue can expect their night to end abruptly and find their options for socialising at licensed premises limited."
Supt. Ainsworth said he hoped that the initiative would lead to ID scanners at venues and Mr Atchinson said the technology would soon become commonplace at a number of venues in Wollongong.
"We will have the ability, especially when it's busy, where no one can slip through the cracks. If the ID scanner pings, they have got no chance of getting in," Mr Atchinson said.
As students return to Wollongong and nightlife returns to pre-COVID restrictions, Supt. Ainsworth said the message from police and local venues was clear.
"Come in, have a good time, but don't act up."
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