New legislation proposed by the ACT government would allow a magistrate to issue 12 month orders banning individuals from attending major events, as well as giving strong search powers to police and authorised security officers.
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Attorney-General Simon Corbell said the new major event legislation, introduced on Thursday, was timed to coincide with Canberra hosting international sporting fixtures including the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup and the Cricket World Cup.
A statement explaining the laws – which also give corporate sponsors and event organisers protections from rival brands and businesses – says new powers are needed to "prevent tragedies like those seen during the Boston 2013 Marathon", in which three people were killed and hundreds injured when two bombs were detonated among the spectators.
The legislation requires major events to be officially declared by the Attorney-General at least 28 days in advance, triggering powers for police and authorised security officers to remove individuals from sporting grounds and venue locations and block them from re-entering.
Separate important sporting event provisions are included in the legislation.
Major events include those that generate tourism revenue, attract large crowds and raise the territory's international profile.
Under the proposed laws, the government will advertise the declaration of events in daily newspapers.
Members of the public will be subject to "basic non-invasive, non-contact searches" by authorised officers as well as scanning for prohibited items, while police will be able to conduct ordinary and frisk searches, confiscate items, take names and addresses and arrest or detain people who do not follow instructions.
Authorised security staff must be employed or licensed under existing laws.
Prohibited items could include knives, explosives, flares, drugs, alcohol, loud hailers and megaphones, flags larger than 900 millimetres and projectiles including eggs and paint bombs.
Mr Corbell said ban orders for events and venues can only be applied under the legislation where a person has been convicted or found guilty of a ban order offence, including assaults, threats, indecent exposure, destroying property or fighting.
The orders are limited to one year and only apply to events listed in the order. Individuals will have the usual right of appeal to the orders.
Commercial arrangements included in the legislation will create powers for "clean zones" at events and make it an offence to use some protected symbols, corporate branding or logos.
Designs, emblems, images, logos, mascots and words are all listed as protected symbols. The legislation seeks to stop "ambush marketing'', where private businesses seek to associate their name or brands with events without purchasing sponsorship.
Street trading and rival advertising would be banned in or near the clean zones without approval from the event organiser.
Mr Corbell said street trading did not apply to permanent businesses near event grounds or venues, but only "pop-up shops wanting to profit from the event without being a sponsor".
"In return for paid sponsorship, sponsors are able to publicise their support by affiliating themselves with the event," Mr Corbell said.
"Businesses that do not pay for sponsorships and seek to gain affiliation with the event for free damage the reputation of the event and management of the event."
New ticket scalping offences are also included in the legislation, blocking individuals or syndicates from making substantial profits or financial benefit from selling tickets above their purchase price.
Giving away tickets as part of prizes, lotteries or promotions, including from radio stations and restaurants, could also be banned under the proposed laws.
Mr Corbell said the legislation, which will repeal laws introduced before the Sydney 2000 Olympics, draws on federal, state and international laws and meets contract provisions required by organisers of the Asian Cup and World Cup cricket.