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February 2, 2026 — 4:36pm
Queensland’s inaugural Night-Life Economy Commissioner has handed the state government a major report set to shape efforts to ease the pressure on smaller music and entertainment venues.
Youth Minister Sam O’Connor – who holds carriage of the portfolio – said on Monday the state’s first Night-Life Economy Strategy, due to government by the end of last year, was now being mulled over.
O’Connor said commissioner John “JC” Collins had handed in the culmination of his time in the role to date, noting it had been a tough time since the pandemic for many smaller operators.
“We’re considering that [report] as a government which will have recommendations in terms of easing that burden for, particularly smaller venues, to make sure that we can really incentivise live music,” he said.
“We really want to make sure that there is help for those venues to have the least possible burden.
“We can’t just turn on a vibrant, thriving night-life across Queensland the year before the Olympics. We’re determined to make sure that we work with the commissioner to do our role.”
The government is considering the report’s more than 60 recommendations as part of a whole-of-government response, expected to still be months away from release.
Collins, the former Powderfinger bassist turned co-owner and venue director of Fortitude Music Hall and the Triffid himself, was appointed to the role by the former government in September 2024.
He had been tasked to work with live music venues, nightclubs, bars, restaurants and entertainment precincts, as well as police, transport, health and planning, to advise the government.
“I’ve got my ideas, but they’re my ideas. I obviously need to go and talk to stakeholders of the night-time economy and see what they want, and then be that conduit [to] advise the government,” he said at the time.
The LNP came to government with little specific nighttime economy policy, beyond promising a safe night precinct for Noosa.
A panel said to support the work of Collins was appointed by O’Connor last January, who then directed him to produce the strategy by the end of 2025.
In his 2024-25 annual report, Collins said he met with 134 stakeholders over the financial year, including 69 night-life economy businesses to “understand barriers facing vibrancy and safety”.
He also undertook a “listening tour” in which he found the top issues affecting the sector to be liquor and sound regulation along with business costs.
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