Daniel Christie death causes public outrage

Daniel Chistie

Kings Cross is somewhere young people go to have fun and thousands of Aussies, now in middle age, would look back and think it was an interesting experience.  But that was before 'shots' became popular and drinking venues stayed open all night.

Now we have something relatively new that sends chills down the spines of every parents' back -  a new breed of angry young men who go to Kings Cross looking for a fight, just for fun.

Shaun McNeil

Shaun McNeil, who calls himself a mixed martial arts fighter, likes to post 'selfies' on Facebook.  On New Year's Eve, he and his partner went out and started off bar hopping in the city.  Four hours later, police allege he bashed four men in Kings Cross for no reason whatsoever, their only mistake was being there.

Then 18 year old Daniel Christie saw McNeil picking on two teenagers and when he tried to intervene, he was punched so hard, his heartbroken parents had no option but to turn his life-support machines off 14 days later.   The assault took place at the exact same spot where 18 year old Thomas Kelly was fatally king-hit in 2012.

Premier Barry O'Farrell

So why doesn't our Premier Barry O'Farrell, do something about it? The Mayor of Manly successfully stopped glassings and brutal punch-ups in her suburb, so we know it can be done.  It seems the answer is political. 

The Chief Executive of the Australian Hotels Association, Paul Nicolaou, was a former Liberal candidate who donated a truck load of money to the NSW Liberal Party before the election.  His good friend George Souris is the minister in charge of liquor licencing in NSW and Michael Photios, the leader of the dominant left faction of the NSW Liberals is also involved in decision making, so who knows what's going on.

Paul Nicolaou

Police, doctors, and emergency services workers are all screaming for action but nothing is happening.  O'Farrell has refused point blank to trial measures experts say will work - 1 am lockouts and 3 am closing time for pubs. Why?  Because they say that a 1 am lockout wouldn't have saved the lives of these two young men.

We don't care O'Farrell - do something now  - and to hell with the Hotels Association.