Support for reducing pubs and clubs' trading hours in the Hunter dropped almost 20 per cent in nine years during Newcastle's lockout law period, a new report has found.
The survey question had the largest change between 2010 and 2019 in the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's 'Australia's attitudes and perceptions towards drugs by region' report.
People surveyed were asked about the measures that Australia takes to reduce drug use and drug-related harm.
The 2019 report set to be released today showed 33 per cent of people in Hunter Valley including Newcastle and Lake Macquarie supported a cutback of trading hours for licensed venues, compared to 40.3 who opposed it.
In 2010 - two years after the lockout laws were introduced in Newcastle - 52 per cent of respondents supported a reduction.
The latest support was even lower in Sydney, which was also subject to state-imposed lockout laws in its inner city. Only 15.4 per cent of Northern Beaches respondents were for reduced trading hours, 18.8 per cent in the Eastern Suburbs and 19.7 per cent in City and Inner South.
But there was still backing for strict monitoring of venues open late in the Hunter region. More than two thirds of people (68.5 per cent) supported this, while only 10 per cent opposed it.
Support of more severe penalties for drink driving was the strongest response in the survey at 84 per cent, followed by stricter enforcement of laws relating to selling alcohol to drunk people (78.8 per cent) and to minors (78.7 per cent).
The strongest opposition was in relation to increasing the price of alcohol at 54 per cent, compared to an average of 45.7 per cent across NSW.
The Hunter also strongly supported harsher penalties and enforcement of selling tobacco to minors, at 86.6 and 88.4 per cent respectively.
Sixty-nine per cent of local respondents believed the legal age to buy tobacco should be raised to 21, compared to a national average of 63 per cent.
