Public assemblies have been banned for two weeks across Sydney after the NSW Police Commissioner activated powers prescribed after the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach.
Reforms to the state’s laws on gun ownership and public assemblies were passed by parliament after a marathon debate in the early hours of Christmas Eve in response to the mass shooting on December 14 that left 15 people dead.
Under the laws, the Commissioner has the power to temporarily designate public areas as “restricted” from assemblies following a declared terrorist incident, which was made on the day of the mass shooting.
In a statement, Commissioner Mal Layon said any protest action at this time would “aggravate fear and divisiveness in the community”.
“The NSW Police is committed to exercising these new powers responsibly and transparently,” he said.
Hellbound and Down 