The State Emergency Service (SES) says its volunteers do not want to enforce controversial rules against annoying conduct at Sydney's World Youth Day later this month.
The regulations were introduced without explanation or debate this week. They empower police, Rural Fire Service and SES volunteers to stop people who engage in conduct that causes annoyance or inconvenience to pilgrims.
Offenders could be arrested and fined up to $5,500. Protest groups and civil libertarians fear the rules could lead to the confiscation of items such as placards and T-shirts bearing anti-World Youth Day slogans
SES director-general Philip McNamara says volunteers provide support at big events all the time without the extraordinary powers.
"Really, they're all about assisting the public to get to the right spot and doing that sort of thing, rather than having to be telling the public or directing or actually imposing fines on the public," he said.
"That's not what they are there for... It's all about for us making sure that World Youth Day participation for our volunteers is a very positive experience, where they have a good interaction with both the pilgrims and anybody else that's around.
"They just didn't need the powers that have been allocated."
The new World Youth Day rules cover 680 venues.
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