Sydney bar scene dominated by big players with time and money to navigate system

“It wasn’t so much an ordeal as it was a marathon of silence,” Thorpe says. “It took 18 months and all of that time was just waiting. All that leads to is less development, and the development that does happen is generally done by the groups who have the means to sit around and wait.”

The NSW government has produced a discussion paper on liquor licensing reform, which went on public exhibition last year and has been under review since. The paper acknowledged current processes could…