Stardust Circus: Inner Sydney councillors divided over first circus in Rose Bay in more than a decade

Plans by a touring circus to pitch up a tent in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has ruffled feathers among local politicians with a Greens councillor claiming animals should not be paraded and put on show for public entertainment.

Plans by a touring circus to pitch up a tent in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has ruffled feathers among local politicians with a Greens councillor claiming animals should not be paraded and put on show for public entertainment.

Woollahra Council has signed off on plan to subside fees for Stardust Circus to put on a three-week show at Lyne Park in Rose Bay in January next year.

The fee waiver enables the circus to operate at the park at a cost of $34,496 – a reduction from the normal $59,136 booking fee.

The proposal has sparked debate among councillors with those in favour saying it would help parents keep their kids entertained during the summer holiday break.

But Greens councillor Matthew Robertson has hit out at the fee waiver, arguing using animals for entertainment was out of touch with modern society.

The circus is planning to operate in Rose Bay next year.

“How can you say (animals) are enjoying themselves, they are subject to the flavour of their masters – society has moved on,” he said.

“We have to acknowledge the changing community attitude and the rise in support particularly among young people for animal welfare.

“It’s about respecting the rights of animals and this is an instance where I think as a council we should be doing that.”

Fellow councillor Nicola Grieve has also spoken out over the circus, saying the need for a fee waiver indicates a shift in the public perception towards circus events.

Greens Councillor Matthew Robertson.

“If society hasn’t changed its position then the circus should be able to fund itself without the council supporting it,” she said.

“Life moves on, there is a change to society and do we really want to be for the sake of some fuzzy warm memory be on the wrong side of this?”

According to the council, Stardust – which has previously featured lions at events – will be the first circus to be held in the local government area in a decade.

The circus is planning to operate at Rose Bay in January 2025.

Stardust booking manager Shannon West has hit back at the criticism, saying the circus was only planning to bring a small number of animals to the Rose Bay event.

“We’ll have five dogs and four goats and they all have a ball,” she said.

“You can’t tell me that any one of the Greens that don’t support circuses don’t also have a puppy in their backyard they reward with treats. It’s the same with our dogs and goats.

“We don’t use exotic animals and if we were cruel towards animals we’d have been prosecuted and put in jail.

A photo of the circus.

Stardust has previously faced opposition from other Sydney councils to operate in public parks including in Bayside where more than 2000 people signed a petition calling for a circus ban in the local government area in 2018.

A Woollahra Council spokesman said the fee reduction was in line with council strategies to support creative and cultural events that promote community connection.

The fee reduction means that instead of being charged for the 24 hour use of the park, the circus will not be billed between the hours of 9pm and 7am, when it is not available for hire by sports clubs, schools and casual hirers

Ms West said the council subsidy would enable the circus to operate at affordable rates.

“It means we can keep our ticket prices at a respectable price for families which is important in the current cost of living environment,” she said.

Councillor Toni Zeltzer – who supported the fee waiver – said the circus could drive visitor activity to the eastern suburbs during a normally quiet period for local traders.

“These animals are having more fun than their caretakers so I’m very much in favour of having this in town,” she said.

“It will make our area a destination in the quiet period so hopefully deliver a little more business to the businesses still operating in January.”

Councillor Mary-Lou Jarvis believes the circus would also support parents looking to entertain their kids during the school holiday period.

“We’re becoming the fun police if we don’t allow people to enjoy the magic of the circus,” she said.

Stardust Circus was established in 1993 and also showcases a wide variety of arts such as tumblers, solo trapeze, acrobats, teeter board, aerial silks, cloud swing, flying trapeze and clowns.

The circus is expected to lodge a full development application to stage the circus in January, which will require final approval from the council.