NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon on Tuesday evening announced he would extend a controversial restriction on public assemblies, saying they could cause fear and public safety issues in the aftermath of a terrorist attack at Bondi.
"We know that there is a heightened tension in the community, we know that a number of sections of the community are feeling fear," he told reporters in Sydney.
"This is not about stopping free speech.
"It's about saying: this is not a time for protest, this is not about time for taking action, it's about the community seeking peace."
Laws rushed through NSW Parliament following the deadly shooting gave the commissioner the ability to ban protests in key metropolitan areas after a declared terrorist incident.
Mr Lanyon deployed his powers almost immediately after they were granted, restricting protests for two weeks from Christmas Eve.
The declaration restricts public assemblies in Sydney's southwest, northwest and central metropolitan areas and can be extended fortnightly for up to three months.
While some rallies - including a march condemning US strikes on Venezuela - have taken place despite the ban, it prevents Australians from seeking official authorisation to protest, leaving participants vulnerable to arrest for obstructing traffic or pedestrians
"The premier and the commissioner don't want peace - they want quiet," NSW Council for Civil Liberties President Timothy Roberts told AAP.
"We do not get peace in our community by suppressing voices.
"The chilling effect of the lack of authorisation only adds to these divisions."
Mr Lanyon vowed to use his powers "responsibly and transparently" and said anyone protesting peacefully without committing offences or threatening others had nothing to fear.
Future renewals of the ban could coincide with more rallies against US actions in Venezuela, the annual Invasion Day protest, or the controversial arrival of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who is expected to visit Australia later in January.
"We're all now at the whim of the police commissioner's subjective assessment about what is and isn't a reasonable protest," Mr Roberts said.
NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley said the government supported Mr Lanyon's decision and was committed to ensuring police had the powers to keep the community safe.
But to others, it proved the NSW government and police commissioner were working in lock-step to punch down on those who call for justice.
"People don't protest lightly, they protest on the basis of political communication as a matter of priority and urgency," NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson told AAP.
"This criminalises people unfairly, cruelly, unnecessarily and arbitrarily.
"These are the hallmarks of people driving democracy into decline."
A constitutional challenge to the powers will be filed this week by Palestine Action Group, Jews Against the Occupation '48 and the Blak Caucus.
The ban will extend until January 20.
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