NSW Police commissoner Mal Lanyon has restricted protests in Sydney under new laws passed by state parliament in response to the Bondi terror attack.
Lanyon announced the decision just before midnight on Christmas Eve, with restrictions to apply for 14 days in the south-west, north-west and central metropolitan policing areas.
The declaration can be extended for up to three months.
It means public assemblies can not be authorised and applications for authorisation will not be accepted.
"Any public assembly will thereby be taken to be unauthorised, and participants will not have the protection of the Summary Offences Act with respect to obstructing traffic and pedestrians and may commit offences if they do," police said in a statement.
"Gatherings are permitted but police may issue move on directions for people causing obstructions or behaving in an intimidatory or harassing manner, or people who might cause or be likely to cause fear in another person."
Police also have the authority to order the removal of face coverings worn by people suspected of committing offences for identification purposes.
Lanyon said police were committed to exercising the new powers "responsibly and transparently".
"This is a time for community to come together and to show respect and courtesy — it’s not a time for large public assemblies and division. The community deserves to be safe and feel safe," he said.
"In the immediate aftermath of the attack at Bondi last week, further protest activity would aggravate fear and divisiveness in the community at a time when we need to build safety and confidence."
Premier Chris Minns said he backed the police commissioner's decision "100 per cent" because the government could not allow a situation where "mass protests rip apart our social cohesion".
"I know that they're extraordinary powers," he told reporters at a Christmas lunch event on Thursday.
"We believe they are absolutely essential in keeping order and peace during this Christmas period and through the summer."
Civil liberty groups and protest organisers criticise new powers
The omnibus legislation was rushed through during a two-day emergency session and cleared the Legislative Council shortly before 3am on Wednesday.
It combines firearm reforms, expanded police powers to restrict public assemblies following terrorist incidents, and new hate-speech measures.
The protest provisions have drawn fierce criticism from civil liberties groups and protest organisers, who argue the laws undermine democratic rights and the implied constitutional freedom of political communication.
Josh Lees, an organiser with the Palestine Action Group, said the measures threaten the ability of communities to assemble and speak out on urgent issues, including Indigenous deaths in custody and the annual Invasion Day march on 26 January.
"These laws will take away the rights of everyone in NSW to gather together as a community to express their views," Lees said.
The NSW-ACT Aboriginal Legal Service also expressed concerns that the laws "could limit legitimate and peaceful protests on Survival Day".
NSW Premier Chris Minns responded by saying such assemblies "can take place", indicating a distinction would be drawn between static rallies and marches through the city.
He said rhetoric about protesting being banned was overblown.
"The rules and the laws are only in place under very strict conditions and that is for a terrorism designation ... we've had very few terrorism designations over the last few years," he said.
"Right now ... it's the worst terrorism event in this state's history."
— With additional reporting by Australian Associated Press.
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