Hawkers to be swept off streets
2 June 1998Sydney's Olympic mayors are pushing for wide-ranging powers to clear the streets of hawkers, beggars and loiterers in the lead-up to and during the 2000 Games.
It is understood that the mayors, including the Lord Mayor, Councillor Sartor, Cr Paul Pearce (Waverley) and Cr George Paciullo (Liverpool), have lodged a submission for the new powers with the Minister for Local Government, Mr Page.
And while Mr Page is understood to have reservations about granting long-term powers, believing they would not make it through the Upper House, there are signals that the Olympic Co-ordination Authority (OCA) may now seek the powers just for the duration of the Games.
The move mirrors similar action taken for the Games in Atlanta, when strict loitering laws were enacted to sweep the homeless off the streets.
Last night, a report detailing changes to the Local Government Act was deferred for consideration by Sydney City Council. The report recommends a raft of legislative amendments which include providing council officers with the power to move people found loitering, begging, collecting money or hawking and vending during major events.
While the report was not considered formally and delayed indefinitely, both Cr Julie Walton and Cr Kathryn Greiner signalled they had concerns with the proposal and would argue against it.
The report noted that the offence of "loiter" had been omitted from ordinances in the Local Government Act of 1993.
It said that this should be amended to any offence which "contained the elements of tarrying or hanging about" or activities that cause a nuisanceto members of the public.
The document said the council received many public complaints about people conducting surveys, religious groups seeking interviews, beggars, donation collectors, people wearing advertising billboards and even people standing around automatic teller machines for too long.
The document also confirms that Olympic mayors are attempting to gain new powers to allow council officers to move unauthorised street vendors and hawkers off the streets as well as impounding or seizing goods if the offender fails to abide by penalty notices.
"It is proposed that the issue is best managed by the establishment of a licensing system to regulate hawking and vending activities during the Olympic period and special events so that limitscan be placed on such activities," the report recommends.
