New laws to shut down illegal places of worship
'If a place of worship is operating outside the law and dividing the community, councils now have the tools to shut it down'
Legislation giving councils stronger powers to shut down unlawful places of public worship has passed the NSW Parliament.
The Local Government and Other Legislation Amendment (Places of Public Worship) Bill 2026 is part of measures announced in January in response to the December 14 Bondi terror attack, and provides councils with stronger enforcement tools to protect community safety.
The reforms bolster existing powers by significantly increasing fines for illegal places of public worship and enabling councils, in serious cases, to seek orders to cut off water, electricity and gas where venues breach planning laws and ignore directions to cease operating.
The legislation allows councils to issue development control orders to stop unlawful activities that breach planning laws or pose risks to public health and safety.
It doubles penalty notice fines from $3000 to $6000 for individuals and from $6000 to $12,000 for corporations.
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