FOLLOWING the announcement on Wednesday, the State Government has at last been successful in shutting down Martin Place’s tent city.

Armed with new powers following Monday’s immediate collapse of a truce negotiated between Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore and the self-proclaimed ‘mayor’ of the homeless camp Lanz Priestley, today the tents were coming down and being packed away.

media_camera The State Government has at last been successful in shutting down Martin Place’s tent city. Picture: John Grainger

media_camera Some people are packing stuff and leaving. Picture: John Grainger

Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced her government would change the law to empower it to kick people off Crown Lands within the boundaries of City of Sydney if they are determined to be conducting ‘unauthorised activity that comprises public safety’.

“This is a course of action I wish I didn’t have to take, but it’s a course of action we have to take because to date the City of Sydney has not done what it has within its power to do and what it should have done,” Ms Berejiklian said.

She also questioned the “motives of some on that site”.

media_camera Ms Berejiklian questioned the motives of some. Picture:John Grainger

“I’m concerned about people who genuinely are homeless who may be caught up and manipulated by what’s going on at that site,” the Premier said.

However Ms Moore said Ms Berejiklian’s move to change laws was “potentially risking conflicts between police and vulnerable homeless people as in Melbourne”.

This is despite in 2015, City of Sydney controversially confiscated tents and other property from a homeless camp in Wentworth Park.