Do as you're told: Games volunteers to lay down law
By MATTHEW MOORE and MICHAEL EVANS
The State Government is planning new laws to give sweeping powers to
thousands of volunteers and temporary enforcement officers during the
Olympics to keep tight control over the city and areas where spectators
gather.
The director-general of the Olympic Co-ordination Authority, Mr David
Richmond, said yesterday that the Olympic Arrangements Act, to go before
Parliament, would extend the powers covering Homebush Bay Olympic Park
to across the city.
"The intent is very clearly there to make sure there is as much
legislative clout to protect the operations of the Games and the key
stakeholders," he told a conference of Olympic sponsors.
As well as the powers to control people, Mr Richmond said the
legislation would protect sponsors from "ambush marketing", including
airborne advertising.
The act will also restrict hawking and street vending - which caused
problems at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
Although the bill has yet to be made public, Mr Richmond said it would
broadly reflect provisions in the Homebush Bay Act, which allows
enforcement officers to control entry of people and vehicles to the
Olympic site.
It provides for penalties of more than $5,000.
On-the-spot fines for pedestrians and motorists who use roads that have
been deemed closed by the enforcement officers are set at $200.
Officers will be allowed to search people entering the site and to
obtain names and addresses of people breaching regulations.
The act also prohibits handing out advertising material, allows the
authority to charge for admission to the Homebush Bay site and search
the possessions of anyone entering the site.
It also allows for the removal of people causing annoyance or
inconvenience to other people at the enforcement officer's discretion.
Scalpers are banned from the Homebush Bay site under the provisions and
face fines of $150.
It is likely that large numbers of volunteers will be given the new
powers, which is of concern to civil liberties groups such as the Public
Interest Advocacy Centre, which says the powers exceed those the police
have at present.
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