The anti-lockout group, Keep Sydney Open, is considering a run for the New South Wales Parliament in the 2019 election.
In a Facebook video, Keep Sydney Open spokesman, Tyson Koh, has asked voters and supporters to let the group know if they think it should run for in the election.
“It’s been a year and a half since we had our first rally and since then we’ve had some really great wins,” Koh said, going on to highlight half-hour trading exemptions for some venues to stay open later, extended trading hours for bottleshops across the state and also enabling small bars to serve “fine malt whiskies” without any mixers.
He added: “But it hasn’t changed the big problem, we still have lockouts. Business confidence is at an all-time low in Sydney and also, we are still the laughing stock of other cities around the world.
“New South Wales is broken and sorely lacking in innovative, fresh ideas that put people first instead of developers and big business.
“We want to help in the most effective way that we can and so that is why we are asking you whether we should run for the senate at the next election.”
The group will now have volunteers asking the people of NSW whether they should start a party and is asking supporters to register so that it can reach the required 750 members needed to form a party.
“If we can achieve that over the next few weeks, then it’s pretty clear that you think we should run,” Koh said.
“We all know that Keep Sydney Open was founded to challenge the lockouts, but in that process we opened a whole can of worms on other issues, about planning laws, about corruption, about over development, about how we value arts and culture in this city.
“We’ve all seen how the NSW government has put big business and the interests of developers and the casino, over people and we are sick of it.”
The group is planning a number of events over the coming months and is asking supporters to come along and have their say about the run for state politics.