00:00Well, the heart of Sydney's CBD will be a lot quieter following new restrictions introduced
00:08by the City of Sydney Council, effectively limiting the number of available spots for
00:14buskers throughout the city.
00:16Under the new changes that were introduced on Monday and effective immediately, no busking
00:21is permitted on George Street between Circular Quay and Haymarket, except for six spots limited
00:28to an hour per busker per day on a first-in basis.
00:33At nearby Pitt Street Mall, there is now only one spot for low-impact acts, like a performer
00:40playing an instrument.
00:41But the new restrictions have received quite a strong reaction this morning from here outside
00:46of Sydney's iconic Town Hall, with a lot of people asking, where has the music gone?
00:51This is a city.
00:53Why are we having the bureaucrats and the wowsers say, no, you can't have, we can't have that?
00:58We want life in this city, we want people to come and visit, we want people to hang around.
01:03Where's the music?
01:04I love walking down here and having a busker there on the corner, young person, old person,
01:09it doesn't matter.
01:10And they're just letting it go.
01:12And it lifts the whole place.
01:13But somebody might be offended by the lyrics, or somebody might be offended by the subject
01:20matter, and we mustn't offend anybody, unless it's been passed by the headmistress.
01:24Well, firstly, I think music in the city is a good thing, but I'm not quite sure how many.
01:31Six sounds like not enough to me.
01:34I think already there's a problem with the vibe in the cityscape, and I think reducing
01:39entertainment in the city is probably a bad thing.
01:42I'd like to see more entertainment in the city.
01:44I think I'd be happy for them, like, if I'm sad, I can be happy, because music, I think
01:53everyone likes music, so, yes, it's good.
01:56In a statement, the city of Sydney says it ultimately supports busking in the CBD.
02:02Their main reasoning for those new restrictions are twofold.
02:05First of all, to ensure people have safe passage through the major thoroughfares of the CBD.
02:11And second, to make sure that buskers have the opportunity to not be drowned out by louder
02:17or busier acts.
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