Waverley Mayor calls for greater council powers to stop virus spread
A Sydney mayor whose council is at the epicentre of coronavirus infections is calling on greater powers to allow rangers to move people on and issue fines to those failing to comply with social distancing.
NSW
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Councils should be given the police-like powers to enforce social distancing and move people on, according to local authorities, the NSW opposition and even civil libertarians.
As NSW Police report a surge in calls to CrimeStoppers dobbing in people refusing to self-isolate or keep their distance, Waverley Mayor Paula Masselos said council rangers need to be given the power to move people on if they are standing in groups in public.
Waverley and Woollahra council areas in Sydney’s eastern suburbs have become the new epicentre of COVID-19, accounting for about 15 per cent of NSW’s cases.
Council staff are currently forced to call police if people are not observing social distancing.
Ms Masselos said mass gatherings at Bondi — like what was seen on a very warm March 20 — should not be allowed to happen again.
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“Local government may need additional statutory powers to allow our rangers to be able move people from overcrowded public spaces if social distancing is not being observed,” she said.
“But these new powers can only come from the state government passing the necessary legislation and making regulations.
“Is it possible to confer these powers quickly so that council can play a greater role in helping managing this crisis?”
The mayor also said giving council these powers would help free up precious police resources.
“I have been in contact with the government to see if enforcement powers for councils can be increased so we can help our police by issuing on the spot fines for certain breaches of the Public Health Orders,” Ms Masselos said.
“As it stands right now, we are restricted in what our rangers, health and building compliance staff can do.”
New laws passed by the state government on March 25 give the Attorney-General the right to give local government more powers without going through parliament.
The changes would rely on advice from Health Minister Brad Hazzard or the state’s chief health officer that enforcing social distancing by council rangers was needed.
NSW Council for Civil Liberties spokesman Stephen Blancs said they backed the move because “police’s workload might require additional personnel” and what we need at the moment is “community compliance with social distancing”.
NSW Police issued a directive to councils Thursday night reminding them that it is police, not councils, who are responsible for enforcing social distancing.
Police have been flooded with queries about who enforces these rules in the past three days.
NSW Labor local government spokesman Greg Warren described the mayor’s call as “another sensible step which would ease the pressure on police and our local councils”.
“These measures would ensure those not heeding that advice are dealt with swiftly and appropriately,” Mr Warren said.
It comes as Strathfield Council staff were forced to leave a shopping centre earlier this week after being abused for handing out flyers encouraging people to practice social distancing.
General manager Henry Wong said people at Flemington shopping centre in Homebush West were socialising in close groups.
He said he agreed with calls to give rangers greater powers: “There is a level of frustration with councils about the lack of power they have”.
“We have many ethnically concentrated areas and are finding that the practice of social distancing is being ignored,” he said.
“The message of social distancing is not getting through to some groups.”
A NSW Government spokesman said “the community should follow the instructions and advice of council rangers in relation to council owned or occupied premises to maintain personal safety”.
“Earlier in the week, the NSW Government passed legislative amendments to give police the power to issue $1000 on-the-spot fines for individuals and $5000 for corporations not complying with ministerial directions relating to COVID-19,” he said.
“Anyone who suspects a breach of the rules should report it to Crime Stoppers as soon as possible.”