#keepsydneyopen

[billmund]

“Yeah, nobody’s ever happy about me bailing, but who cares? I need my beauty sleep! That’s why I love going out in Sydney – everyone gets sent home nice and early!”

[crackburgers]

Sorry for the inactivity. I'll try post more frequently from now. Here's some shots of a little trip some friends and I made to see mick Jenkins. Definitely the best hip hop gig I've ever been to All these were shot on a Fujifilm superia 400 disposable cam. Enjoy

[actualmontaigne]

Honoured to be playing the rally this Saturday from 12pm. Come along!!! Say hi. Sing along. #Repost @keepsydneyopen with @repostapp ・・・ Just released the first names on our lineup! The fabulous ARIA award-winning @actualmontaigne will be at the rally, as will Aussie legends @ganggajang and DJ Hugo Gruzman. Also, if you have a sweet tooth @gelatomessina will be there to sort you out! This is our first chance to let the new NSW Premier know how we feel about lockouts and the state of Sydney's nightlife, so spread the word! It's in Martin Place this Saturday from midday. #keepsydneyopen #peopleoverprofit

[wasteland-vortex-blog]

Do I care enough to get up?

(city vision, 2012)

In the past, if you felt strongly enough about an issue, cared enough, you got off your bum and did something about it, joined a movement, attended a protest. Today, we can be involved with just a click of a button, but do we click and forget? And the question is asked, again and again, activism or slacktivism? It has been argued that this type of activism or ‘subactivism’ should still be viewed as important no matter how frivolous it appears (Bakardjieva, 2009, p. 103), although this view can be hard to swallow at times. 

(Nine, 2016)

In 2014, in a bid to decrease alcohol fuelled violence, Sydney introduced 1.30am lockout laws for pubs and clubs in Kings Cross and the CBD (Nine, 2016). With Casinos unaffected by the lockout laws, Premier Mike Baird received backlash that new laws would not only kill off the city’s vibrant nightlife but also the local music scene. The response: the Keep Sydney Open campaign and petition.  The petition currently has 54,109 signatures and Keep Sydney Open have held a number of rallys, including one in February, attracting approximately 5000 people (police estimation) (Triple J, 2016) and another in October with approximately 4000 people attending (ABC News, 2016). These numbers are a far cry from the 54,000 that have signed the petition. Does that give less validity to the petition? No, I don’t think so. In the age of technology we are more informed than ever before and have the ability to be more engaged, regardless of our physical environment (Ducheneaut, Yee, Nickell, Moore, 2006). With these types of laws being introduced into our major cities, this was much more than just a Sydney issue, and the online environment allowed anyone, from anywhere, to engage in the situation (ABC News, 2016).

As Morozov has pointed out, social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are prodominately for entertainment purposes (Gerbaudo, 2012), but just as the business world has begun to adopt the platforms, so too have activists. 

A few years ago I came across a petition with Change.org, which was advertised on Facebook regarding the NBN and how it would be delivered to homes, fibre to the node (FTTN) or fibe to the home (FTTH). At the time, we owned a telecommunications service provider company and this was a big issue within our industry, so I signed the petition. Since then I have received regular emails from Change.org regarding a variety of different matters, none of which have been relevant to me, and they have been discarded. But it does make me wonder, does everyone else discard them? I’m not really sure how I feel about online petitions and their validity now.

ABC News, 2016, Keep Sydney Open: Thousands attend protest against lockout laws, Jimmy Barnes backs campaign,  viewed 16 January 2016 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-09/lockout-laws-rally-sydney-130am/7916524>

ABC News, 2016, ‘Queensland to introduce the country's toughest lockout laws’ viewed 15 January 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/brisbane-lockouts-pass/7175962>

Bakardjieva, M 2009, 'Subactivism: Lifeworld and Politics in the Age of the Internet', Information Society, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 91-104.

Charlie Brown image, ‘Technology and Social Causes- Activism or "Clicktivism"?’ 2012, viewed 15 January 2017, <http://kalw.org/post/technology-and-social-causes-activism-or-clicktivism#stream/0>

Ducheneaut, N., Yee, N., Nickell, E., and Moore, R.J. (2006). "Alone Together? Exploring the Social Dynamics of Massively Multiplayer Games." Proceedings of CHI 2006, pp.407-416

Gerbaudo, P 2012, Tweets and the Streets : Social Media and Contemporary Activism, Pluto, London.

Nine, 2016, NSW Government says violence has risen at Sydney’s Star casino since lockout laws introduced, viewed 16 January 2017 <http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health/health-problems/nsw-government-says-violence-has-risen-at-sydneys-star-casino-since-lockout-laws-introduced/news-story/231d9e2d1918cf7d14e2c871e4651e08>

[actualmontaigne]

Mum reckons I played a part, if only small, in the Mike Baird resignation. Idk whether I did or not, but I'm way into that idea hey! #PeopleOverProfit #KeepSydneyOpen #PokiesFreeSydney 📷: @musicloveau, Alex Carlyle

[natty373]

🌈 Friends are people who help each other, caress their spine & help them grow 🌈 • • • Thank you to the amazing Lesley for the trust, belief & all the magic she pulls together to help Sydney’s Art Scene! The work you do keeps Sydney Alive from the place it matters most - The Pulse ❤️ is felt in all the body layers 🌈 THANK YOU 🙏🏽 🔆🔆🔆 If you would like to check the show it is open till Sunday 🔆🔆 @tapgallery 🔆🔆 259 Riley St, Surry Hills 🔆🔆 • • #namaste #sydneyartscene #thepulse #keepsydneyopen #makeartnotwar #connection #community #love #rawbeauty #livingphilosophy #artsaveslives #natural #mentalhealthawareness #liferefinementtherapies (at Tap Gallery Sydney) https://www.instagram.com/p/B20Iw3egU4q7WiPtbUNBD-PhBSlCKEcz_csY1U0/?igshid=1b697b9yq37vg

[sunmat2018]

This is a huge victory for Sydney! Goodbye and good riddance, lockout laws! The fight isn’t over though: CBD down, Kings Cross & Newcastle to go... #keepsydneyopen #wedidit #lockoutlawsareoverparty 🥳🔥😃🤘🤟🎆🌃🎊🎉 https://www.instagram.com/p/B2Jo05WgEOh/?igshid=1l0e5l73j5bb2

[temanamusic]

@misfits_bardining next Thursday let’s hit August running 🔥 @ 8pm #thursday #sydney #livemusic #keepsydneyopen #music #originalsong (at Redfern, New South Wales) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0SHRdfH8eT/?igshid=1nxi2ivci8iox