SBS newsreader, Lee Lin Chin, has caused a stir by starring in a parody of Tourism Australia’s “Where the bloody hell are you?” campaign, but this time the focus is on the NSW government’s controversial lockout laws.
The ad is promoting SBS2’s news program, The Feed, which next week will air a segment on the lockout laws, introduced by the O’Farrell government in 2014 as a means of curbing alcohol fuelled violence.
The laws ban patrons from entering a venue for the first time after 1.30am, and pubs and clubs aren’t permitted to serve alcohol to patrons after 3am. The regulations have been effective in reducing violence on the streets of Kings Cross, largely because of a significant drop in foot traffic which has also led to the closure of a number of businesses in the area, including Hugo’s Bar, La Cita and The Flinders.
The SBS ad is a send-up of the 2006 tourism campaign, which starred model Lara Bingle and was created by agency M&C Saatchi. Chin can be seen standing on the side of the road in Kings Cross before using the campaign’s infamous tagline ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’, referring to the district’s desolate state.
Chin caused a similar stir earlier this year, starring in Meat and Livestock Australia’s annual Australia Day ‘lambassador’ campaign. The ad was criticised because it poked fun at vegans and led to a record number of complaints being made to the Advertising Standards Bureau.