Decision details

Moved by Councillor Weldon, seconded by Councillor Thompson –

It is resolved that:

(A)        Council note:

(i)           the City of Sydney is fortunate to have a high calibre of professional buskers performing on our streets on our regular basis;

(ii)         busking is a vital component of the city's cultural life, providing accessible and diverse entertainment that brings vibrancy and excitement to our streets and promotes the activation of key precincts;

(iii)        the work of street performers is challenging. They are too often underappreciated, prone to harassment and must contend with other street activities like street preachers and protestors;

(iv)        Pitt Street Mall and parts of George Street are among the premier locations for street performance in Sydney, with a high volume of pedestrians and visitors achieving significant audience engagement. Major events like Vivid also present a great opportunity for buskers; and

(v)         the City of Sydney’s previous busking policy maintained strong support because it effectively balanced issues of accessibility, safety, amenity and sound management, fostering a cooperative environment among performers and promoting sustained cultural activity;

(B)        that, in addition to urgently reviewing the newly adopted busking policy, the Chief Executive Officer be requested to investigate and provide advice to Council on:

(i)           actions the City can implement to foster a safer environment for buskers and prevent harassment, including through more proactive engagement and outreach from City Rangers and other relevant staff; and

(ii)         allowing and promoting additional designated busking locations within City of Sydney event and pedestrian management areas during Vivid and other major events; and

(C)        the Lord Mayor be requested to write to relevant NSW Government authorities (including Place Management NSW, Transport for NSW, Destination NSW and Venues NSW) asking them to create more opportunities for busking on land they manage, including busking in and around new Metro stations and during Vivid and other major events.

Carried unanimously.

X113759