Victoria Police have abruptly ended the designation of Melbourne’s central business district and surrounding precincts as a special search zone, withdrawing controversial powers that allowed officers to conduct warrantless searches nearly four months earlier than scheduled.
The declaration, which granted police and protective services officers expanded authority to stop, question and search individuals without reasonable suspicion, will lapse at 11.59pm on Friday night. It had originally been set to remain in force until late May 2026.
Police quietly confirmed the decision on Friday morning through an update to their official website, offering no public explanation for the early termination. The timing, however, coincides with mounting legal and civil liberties pressure, including an imminent federal court challenge to the declaration.
An urgent hearing is due to begin on Monday following a lawsuit filed by Invasion Day rally organiser Tarneen Onus Browne and environmental activist Benny Zable. The case challenges the legality and proportionality of the powers, arguing they unlawfully restrict freedom of movement, protest rights and personal privacy.
The designated area, announced in November, covered a wide swathe of inner Melbourne, including the CBD, Docklands, Southbank, major sporting and entertainment precincts, and parts of East and South Melbourne. Within these zones, police were permitted to search people and vehicles without warrants or reasonable grounds, using electronic wands or pat-downs, and could require individuals to remove outer clothing, empty bags and pockets, or remove face coverings.
Failure to comply with a search or a direction to leave the area constituted a criminal offence, exposing individuals to potential arrest or charges for obstruction.
Civil liberties and legal organisations had repeatedly warned that the six-month declaration represented an unprecedented expansion of police power. Liberty Victoria, Inner Melbourne Community Legal and other advocacy groups described the measure as excessive, disproportionate and poorly justified.
Gemma Cafarella, president of Liberty Victoria, welcomed the decision to revoke the declaration early, describing it as a necessary step to restore basic rights.
“We consider these powers to be an unjustified limitation on people’s privacy and freedom,” Cafarella said. “Ending the declaration early is a positive outcome, but the underlying legislation remains deeply concerning.”
Liberty Victoria has long argued that weapons search declarations are ineffective and discriminatory. A report released by the organisation last March found that illicit items, including weapons, were detected in just 1% of warrantless searches conducted in designated areas over a two-year period.
Cafarella said the data demonstrated that the powers failed to deliver meaningful public safety outcomes while exposing thousands of people to intrusive searches. She also cited freedom of information data indicating the powers disproportionately affected First Nations people and people of colour.
Victoria Police have previously rejected claims of racial profiling, stating officers operate under a “zero tolerance” policy toward discriminatory policing and are trained to act based on behaviour rather than background.
Despite this assurance, scrutiny of police use of designated areas has intensified in recent years. Guardian Australia previously reported that Victoria Police admitted it had failed to comply with legal requirements when exercising weapons search powers on at least 23 occasions over an eight-year period.
Those breaches were uncovered during an internal audit examining all designated areas declared between March 2017 and March 2025. Police subsequently notified the state’s anti-corruption watchdog of the non-compliant searches.
Inner Melbourne Community Legal was among the most vocal critics of the most recent declaration. Its chief executive, Nadia Morales, said at the time that the scope and duration of the Melbourne designation were unprecedented.
“This was not a short-term response to a specific risk,” Morales said in November. “It was a vast overreach that normalised extraordinary police powers across large parts of the city for half a year.”
Designated areas are commonly used in Victoria to manage short-term risks linked to major events, protests or specific intelligence about weapons-related violence. Critics argue the Melbourne declaration blurred the line between targeted policing and routine surveillance of the public.
In a statement issued on Friday, a Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed the planned six-month declaration had been terminated early.
“All searches and seizures conducted under the declaration between 30 November 2025 and 9 January 2026 remain valid,” the spokesperson said.
Police also signalled that the use of designated areas in Melbourne may not be over. The statement said Victoria Police was considering making a new declaration, although its geographic scope and duration had not yet been determined.
“Victoria Police continues to make use of weapons search declarations to keep the public safe, with several made in just the last few weeks,” the spokesperson said. “We also maintain a highly visible police presence in Melbourne’s CBD through targeted and regular operations.”
For civil liberties advocates, the early revocation represents a rare concession by police amid growing public concern over the balance between security and individual rights. Whether the federal court challenge proceeds, and whether new declarations are issued in its place, will determine whether the controversy surrounding warrantless searches in Melbourne is truly over—or merely paused.
