Street artists v Sydney City Council

By Bruce White

SYDNEY -- The Ombudsman has replied evasively to a complaint about council treatment of street artists but has, in passing, testified to how deliberate council's policy is. Sydney City Council completely bans visual artists showing and selling their art on the streets of Sydney.

The Ombudsman's report, released in February, revealed that Sydney lord mayor Frank Sartor directed his staff to use police powers under the Police Offences Act to enforce council's policy against street artists. The report also revealed that the relevant section of the Police Offences Act has since been abolished.

A senior Sydney City Council official claims that council does recognise the right of an artist to show and sell their art in public places and admits he cannot say at the moment what power council has to stop artists. But, he says, the council's law enforcement section is working on something.

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