Raise the Bar came together in 2007 to help change the drinking culture in New South Wales.
Tired of hearing that people didn't want to sit in hole-in-the-wall balls with a glass of chardonnay and a good book, we decided to give publicans, politicians and the media another perspective.
Beer barns, ubiquitous plasma TVs, poker machines, rude bouncers and violent drunks - this was too often the portrait of your average licenced venue in NSW.
With the support of thousands of like minded people across the community, Raise the Bar lobbied hard to create new laws which would encourage change and deliver more choice for punters.
The result of this effort, the NSW Liquor Act (2007), was a huge step forward for our state.
By making it simpler for someone to buy a glass of wine at a restaurant without having a meal; by reducing the red tape involved in opening a small bar, and by making it easier sell wine to new customers at markets, we started that change.
The laws that govern when and where you can see live entertainment have also been massively improved in no small part thanks to the support and interest of Raise the Bar's members.
Without the support and involvement of Raise the Bar's members none of this would have been possible.
After a much needed break those of us at the centre of the Raise the Bar campaign will continue to work behind the scenes to improve the drinking culture of NSW.
What our state needs now is for you to keep supporting these changes by visiting new venues and encouraging existing venues to do better. Without punters, good venues can't survive.
If you would like to open a new venue, please check out all the information from the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing. You'll also need to speak with your local council.
And to keep up to date on new places opening up, we've got a few links on our homepage to the right.
Let the music play!Sat Oct 24, 2009In what must be the sweetest music to the ears of musicians, artists and venue owners for many years the NSW Government announced the final nail in the coffin of the Place of Public Entertainment (PoPE) laws in NSW which have been stifling local talent for years. You will recall Raise The Bar campaigned to cut the red tape on these laws a wee while back. That resulted in significant improvements and many more venues opening their rooms, however the arcane laws still had too many related planning complexities which were causing venues like the Hopetoun to close their doors or give up the live music battle. No longer! The PoPE is officially dead as of monday and the music can start playing through the streets of NSW. On FridayState Planning Minister Kristina Keneally announced the end of Place Of Public Entertainment (POPE) licences, saying their abolition would give a boost to the state's arts scene. Meeting the conditions of the POPE licence was reportedly costing some businesses up to $300,000. That sort of outlay was beyond most small to medium-sized enterprises, according to industry experts, meaning few were able to host live performances. "The abolition of the POPE licences mean local eateries and watering
holes no longer need development approval if they want to host live
bands or musicians," Ms Keneally told reporters on Friday. |