Brawl filmed in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley as lockout laws loom

A brawl involving a dozen young men broke out in Brisbane's Fortitude Valley nightclub precinct last night, as the state's lockout laws loom.

The men started fighting at the GPO Hotel about 2.30am, and the brawl spilled onto the street.

"Get him, get him," one man can be heard screaming in a video of the fight.

Earlier in the night and one block away from the hotel, a man was arrested after attempting to punch a security guard in the head.

His friends swore as authorities held him down.

Police made 17 arrests in Fortitude Valley overnight, with 29 charges laid including possession of dangerous drugs.

Twelve people were charged with public nuisance, and no one was charged with assault.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart has said he hopes any change to lockout laws would allow emergency services to focus on those who really need it.

"Not the mindless violence that comes in off the street, where someone's whacked someone because they think that's funny," Comm. Stewart said.

Queensland's proposed lockout laws follow a national trend, but will go one step further by applying to the whole state rather than to a particular suburb.

The laws have faced harsh opposition and attracted protests.