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Beginning on Feb. 23, new laws came into place in Sydney designed to limit alcohol-fueled violence.

The New South Wales state government implemented strict measures including no entry to premises that serve alcohol after 1:30 a.m. and prohibiting serving alcohol after 3 a.m. Bottle shops and liquor stores cannot stay open past 10 p.m. These laws were applied to the Central Business District and the nightlife areas along Oxford Street and in Kings Cross. Additionally, there are new mandatory minimum sentencing laws for those who commit assault while intoxicated. This means that anyone who fatally punches another while under the influence of alcohol has a minimum sentence of eight years in prison.

Furthermore, an expansion of mandatory minimum sentencing across six violent crimes has been proposed; however, it is likely to fail in Parliament.

These laws follow a number of fatal and near-fatal attacks by people who were intoxicated in areas with large numbers of bars, nightclubs and pubs. These cases were extensively publicized in Sydney media and led to public outcry. These laws have been met with mixed responses. Some think that the new laws are unfairly punishing many on the basis of a small number of attacks, especially as statistics show that violent assaults have, in fact, been falling.

After the first weekend of implementation, media outlets were describing the scenes over the weekend as more subdued than usual, with party-goers heading home earlier. However, many people had just simply begun drinking earlier.  The night was quieter, despite the city’s LGBT pride parade, the largest annual street party in Sydney.

Joe Anthony, a NYU New York student studying at NYU Sydney, sympathized with the intent behind the laws but said that they could be better executed.

“I think implanting the laws at a slower rate would be more conducive and an easier adjustment," said Anthony.

Anne Dordai, another NYU Sydney student, noted that the laws would be unable to change Australian drinking culture and would not solve the problem in the long run.

“Drinking is already a large part of Australian culture, and despite the government’s already strict alcohol laws and incredibly high prices, it has remained a standard in Australian life,” said Dordai.

She was ultimately skeptical that the new laws would be effective.

“People will most likely find ways around these new laws, whether the government likes it or not,” said Dordai.