Why Melbourne has become so much better for partying than Sydney

It’s 5am in Melbourne and the cheeky question “Revolver?” is thrown in the direction of anyone within earshot. It signals one part of the night ending; a new one beginning.

Where better to spend the early (or late, depending on which way you look at it) weekend hours than with mates, in the warm embrace of house and techno at the Chapel Street clubbing institution. Or, for that matter, any number of other bars and clubs killing it in the city?

Dance music's biggest names are constantly playing Brown Alley, weekly club nights at Boney are packed and The Mercat basement is as sweaty as ever. Put simply, Melbourne is a city at the top of its game.

But further up the East Coast in Sydney, those who want to dance all night can’t.

Lockout laws banning entry to venues past 1.30am and the service of alcohol after 3am in the New South Wales state capital's central business district have been in place since February 2014.

Much-loved haunts The Spice Cellar, Hugo’s Lounge and Soho are just some of the many venues that contributed to the city’s once vibrant nightlife but have been forced to close their doors due to the financial hit from the lockouts.

The freedom to move from dancefloor to dancefloor, experiencing the pulsating heart of the city, its culture and its people, has been stripped away. And you can’t just buy a few beers on your way to a house party instead because the sale of takeaway booze is banned after 10pm statewide in New South Wales. The strict laws are aimed at targeting alcohol-related violence in the city and are up for review in 2016 after depriving Sydney and its people for two years.

The pain of Sydney clubbers, DJs, venue owners and hospitality workers has been felt around the world. People should have the right to share in a life-changing moment of dancefloor hedonism with like-minded others at 4am. It’s a universal experience, but not something New South Wales' conservative Liberal government understands.

Given Australia’s competitive nature, its two largest cities are traditional rivals.

Melbourne: "Our coffee’s better." Sydney: "Our bridge is better."

But since the lockouts’ introduction the music and clubbing scene debate has become skewed. The two cities are on completely different trajectories.

Melbourne’s nightlife is thriving with a state government, local council and mayor that want the city to run 24/7. They’re doing their bit to make it happen.

The south-eastern state of Victoria's progressive Labor government pledged 24-hour public transport on Fridays and Saturdays in its capital city at the last election, and began trialling the measure on January 1. Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he wished getting home was that easy when he was slinging hot dogs out the front of Tunnel nightclub back in ’93.

All night trains and trams, late-night buses and a 2am coach service to key regional areas make the city more accessible after hours than it’s ever been. It’s something Keep Sydney Open campaigners are pointing towards as part of an alternative approach to lockouts to help get people home safely after a night out.

The group is the leading voice advocating for the lockout laws to be overturned in Sydney and promote a fairer approach to alcohol-related violence that allows nighttime culture to grow, while providing as safe an environment as possible. In February, their 15,000 strong rally drew attention on a weekend when the two cities’ differences yet mutual passion for music and culture stood out starkly.

As Sydney-siders took to the streets toting signs of ‘cut shapes, not culture’ to protest the lockouts, thousands of Melbournians were in bed after staying up all night as part of the city’s annual ‘White Night’ festival. Inspired by Paris’ Nuit Blanche, the event sees light-installations projected onto and within buildings, public spaces and parks from 7pm to 7am in the central business district.

DJs take over streets and laneways for all night, free state-endorsed block parties. This year, Harvey Sutherland, Otologic and Planète closed the Lonsdale St stage from 3.30am. Last drinks were half an hour earlier in Sydney.

You wouldn’t have even been seeing things if you thought you caught Lord Mayor Robert Doyle in between installations. He wants people dining until 2am and City of Melbourne is encouraging more buskers after midnight on its streets.

But, of course, you can still grab a drink somewhere in Sydney post-3am.

The Star casino is conveniently located just outside the lockout zone at Darling Harbour. So is the planned new Crown casino site at Barangaroo. While many important Sydney bars and clubs have been forced to shut down, and others struggle to survive, The Star is booming.

New South Wales Premier Mike Baird insists the casinos’ exemption will be discussed in the lockouts review when pushed on the issue. No one’s convinced of any legitimacy. Critics point to large donations from casino owners to the Liberal Party as evidence of the close ties between government and the gambling heavyweights.

The former president of the party in NSW also resigned from the position last year after landing a senior executive gig at The Star. The NSW government is directing all-night traffic to poker machines and blackjack tables and killing the kinds of small venues that allow artists like Flume, Flight Facilities and The Presets to hone their art in the process.

Unlike its NSW counterpart, the Victorian government is supporting the intimate and diverse bars and clubs that make world-class cities vibrant. There’s a freeze on granting new licenses to serve alcohol after 1am, with exemptions for small venues that serve food or feature live music.

Party leaders on both sides know Sydney-style laws would be a huge mistake. And Melbourne had its own brush with lockouts for three months in 2008: protestors took to the streets and the measure was found to be a failure by a government-commissioned report. Clubbers, DJs, business owners, hospitality workers (and those who generally think the government telling people they can play the pokies or go to bed is fucked up) in Sydney, Melbourne and around the world are hoping the review of Sydney’s lockouts will achieve the same result.

The City of Sydney has supported lockout exemptions for live music venues and well-run bars and clubs. It’s time the NSW government starts listening to its people instead of the dull casino “ka-ching” echoing through Sydney’s central streets at 3am.

We reckon the sound of house music would be much better.

Sydney’s lockout laws are up for independent review. Findings will be presented to the NSW government in August. Support Keep Sydney Open here

Scott Carbines is Australia's Digital Content Editor, follow him on Twitter