Michael Rodrigues is well aware of the right of all residents of a city for a good night's sleep, but as the man tasked with revitalising the state's nightlife after lockdowns and a cost-of-living crisis, he's had a few late nights himself.
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The former managing director of Time Out magazine, Mr Rodrigues was hand-picked in 2021 to rebuild Sydney's once world-renowned after-dark culture that had been decimated by lockouts and COVID.
In 2023, the Minns government expanded his office's remit to cover regional NSW in addition to greater Sydney - and now his eyes are on Wollongong.
"The thing about Wollongong is that in some ways, they're ahead in terms of their thinking and execution on some of the night-time goals," Mr Rodrigues said.
Citing the "global DA" system already in place in Wollongong's CBD, which creates a streamlined pathway for bars and restaurants seeking to open late at night, as well as the strong music and creative scene that drives activity in the northern suburbs, Mr Rodrigues said the city was already doing a number of things right.
But with costs rising across the board for operators, hospitality can remain a tenuous endeavour, with the sector only second to the embattled construction industry in the number of insolvencies reported in Australia up to April this year with 1245 bars, clubs and restaurants hitting the wall in the past 12 months.
Wollongong has not been immune, with closures on the controversial Crown Street Mall, local favourites calling time in hip Thirroul and national chains closing their doors in Shellharbour.
While Mr Rodrigues can't change interest rates or put extra cash in the pockets of revellers, he said the office of the 24 Hour Economy Commissioner is taking steps to address this exodus of businesses due to higher costs, including by allowing businesses to band together to push prices down.
"What we've started doing in Sydney is having districts work together to deliver events and festivals. That creates a new revenue stream and brings new audiences and what the program starts to turn people's minds to is other opportunities and ways to save cash."
Already, venues in Wollongong have banded together to address anti-social behaviour, rolling out the barred from one, barred from all initiative in 2022 with local police. Mr Rodrigues said there was a new breed of hospitality operators who were working with police in Sydney and beyond with both sides recognising each had a job to do, but at the same time, avoiding heavy handed policing and filtering out "rogue operators".
But as Wollongong moves to increase density in the CBD, Mr Rodrigues said the Minns government had been given a mandate to allow noise and vibrancy in existing nightlife hubs, and new residents and existing businesses would need to find a way to live together.
"In practice, everyone's entitled to a good night's sleep. The noise and sound changes are not about unbridled noise at all hours of the day, everywhere, it's about finding the right balance between celebrating nightlife and residents."
Next week, Mr Rodrigues will visit Wollongong and later in the month host an open forum for businesses and the community, with applications open for the District Accelerator program.
From early discussions and preliminary visits Mr Rodrigues said there is an opportunity for Wollongong to build on its noted live music scene, but said ultimately it was about creating a diverse nightlife experience across the region.
"The end goal is a long term sustainable model that nourishes the community, and that's what night time economies are about, people coming together and sharing their experiences and stories in a safe environment."
