New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has extended restrictions on authorised protests across large parts of Sydney for a further 14 days, citing ongoing community safety concerns in the aftermath of the alleged Bondi terror attack. The move comes despite police confirming that no new intelligence has emerged to specifically justify the extension.
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Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Lanyon said the declaration would continue to apply to Sydney’s central business district, as well as the city’s south-west and north-west policing areas. The decision, he said, was based on the broader social impact of recent events rather than any fresh threat information.
“The Bondi incident was the most significant terrorist event we’ve experienced in New South Wales,” Lanyon said. “It is right that the community has time to grieve and time to mourn. This decision is not about stopping free speech.”
The original 14-day declaration was imposed on Christmas Eve under expanded police powers rushed through the NSW parliament last month. The legislation does not explicitly ban protests, but it prevents police from authorising public assemblies through the state’s “form 1” system following a declared terrorist incident. Without form 1 authorisation, protest organisers lose legal protections from prosecution for offences such as obstructing roads, traffic or pedestrians.
Civil liberties advocates and protest groups argue that the practical effect of the declaration is a blanket ban on demonstrations. Police, however, maintain that peaceful and static gatherings are still permitted, even during the declaration period.
The extension has prompted an immediate legal response. The Palestine Action Group announced it would file a constitutional challenge to the legislation in the NSW Supreme Court later this week. In a statement, the group said the powers had little to do with public safety.
“None of this has anything to do with stopping ISIS-inspired terror attacks,” the group said. “All it does is allow bad governments to silence the people’s voices.”
Lanyon rejected claims that the laws amount to a protest ban, reiterating that police are focused on preventing situations that could escalate into violence or disorder. Critics counter that the accompanying move-on powers—allowing police to disperse unauthorised protests if they believe summary offences laws may be breached—effectively deter any meaningful public assembly.
The latest decision extends the declaration until 20 January, with the legislation allowing for extensions of up to 90 days in total. Asked whether this could jeopardise the authorisation of annual Invasion Day rallies scheduled for 26 January, Lanyon said it was too early to speculate.
“It’s very premature to consider that,” he said. “We will assess the need for a public safety declaration as we get closer to the end of this 14-day period.”
The extension follows a weekend of politically charged rallies in Sydney’s CBD, where hundreds of protesters gathered to condemn US military strikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Police said three people were arrested during Sunday’s rally but were later released without charge.
While Lanyon acknowledged that no specific incident or intelligence briefing had prompted the extension, he pointed to broader tensions within the community.
“I think it’s still that heightened tension within Australia, certainly in New South Wales,” he said. “What we’ve seen over the past couple of days is external factors from overseas bringing people out for public assemblies, and the potential for counterprotests, which could lead to a public safety incident.”
Lanyon also confirmed that at least one application for a public assembly had been lodged during the new 14-day period, but was rendered invalid by the declaration.
NSW Premier Chris Minns has previously dismissed concerns about civil liberties as exaggerated. Defending the legislation after it was rushed through parliament last year, Minns said the government could not allow mass demonstrations to undermine social cohesion during a period of heightened anxiety.
“We just can’t have a situation where mass protests rip apart our social cohesion,” the premier said at the time. The protest provisions were passed as part of a broader omnibus bill that also included tougher gun control measures and expanded hate speech laws.
Lanyon said he had not consulted Minns before deciding to extend the declaration, noting that the decision was made in consultation with a panel of senior police officers. Under the legislation, the police minister must approve any extension.
Police Minister Yasmin Catley confirmed she had approved the decision and said the government fully backed the commissioner.
“The government unequivocally supports the commissioner’s decision,” Catley said in a statement last week. “These decisions are rightly made by the NSW Police Force, based on intelligence, risk assessment and their on-the-ground understanding of community safety.”
Civil liberties groups remain unconvinced. Timothy Roberts, president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, said the continued use of the powers was having a profound impact on democratic participation.
“These laws are having an extraordinary chilling effect on our democratic rights,” Roberts said. “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of a free society, and restricting it in the absence of clear and present danger sets a very troubling precedent.”
As the declaration enters its second extension period, pressure is mounting on the government and police to justify how long the extraordinary measures should remain in place, and whether community safety can be balanced with the right to protest in a city already grappling with grief, political tension and deep divisions.
