City of Sydney and Inner West Council have voted to ban smart glasses from a range of council-run facilities. Canada Bay and Burwood are reviewing their rules, while Strathfield says it has no restrictions and is not considering any.
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Smart glasses can look much like ordinary eyewear but may contain cameras, microphones and AI features. The devices have accessibility benefits, but their ability to record discreetly has raised concerns about privacy and non-consensual filming.
These council decisions apply to council-operated facilities. They are not blanket bans on wearing smart glasses in public or at privately operated venues.
We checked the published council decisions and asked the other councils where they stand.
Image credit: Meta
City of Sydney: unanimous vote for a ban
The City of Sydney voted unanimously on 21 September to ensure the use of smart glasses is banned at its leisure centres, libraries, council-run childcare centres and community centres.
The official council decision records that smart glasses were already not permitted at City of Sydney pools. Procedures covering education and care services and community centres had also recently been updated to refer specifically to smart glasses.
The council's Chief Executive Officer has been asked to review and update conditions of entry and other policies where necessary. Any changes will include accessibility exemptions for people with disability, including people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, blind or have low vision.
Signage and staff training will also be introduced where required. The decision did not set a start date for the changes.
Inner West Council: ban approved, details to come
Inner West Council voted on 22 September to ban AI smart glasses and other wearable recording devices from council venues and facilities. The ban will cover facilities including pools, change rooms, childcare centres and public toilets.
Staff will now work out the details, including entry rules and signage. People who rely on the technology for accessibility will be exempt.
Councillor Kerrie Fergusson said the glasses give people with vision or hearing impairments a new level of independence, but can also record high-definition video and live-stream without anyone noticing.
Inner West Council has advised that they have not received any formal complaints about the devices.
No start date or full list of affected facilities has been published yet. Council has also resolved to develop a broader strategy covering the use of AI.
Canada Bay: review under way, and a letter to Canberra
City of Canada Bay told Inner West Guide that staff are reviewing guidelines, signage and protections at council facilities following community concerns about wearable technology and smart glasses.
Mayor Michael Megna plans to bring an item to the council's next meeting on 20 October to update the community and set out next steps. He also plans to write to the federal Attorney-General calling for national leadership.
“Council's role is very important, and we will do everything we can to ensure community safety, but a patchwork of different rules and regulations across Australia doesn't make sense,” Mayor Megna told Inner West Guide.
Canada Bay has not announced a ban. Mayor Megna said any response should protect people's privacy, particularly children and families, while accommodating people who use smart glasses as an accessibility aid.
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Burwood: conditions of entry being reviewed
Burwood Council told Inner West Guide it is reviewing its procedures and conditions of entry at Burwood Library and Community Hub, and other council-run facilities, to work out whether the current rules cover the risks of smart glasses.
The council does not run childcare centres, and its aquatic centre is closed for a significant renovation.
Burwood said it has a Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy aligned with the Child Safe Standards and will keep following advice from the eSafety Commissioner and the Office of the Children's Guardian.
It has not announced a ban or a timeframe for finishing its review.
Strathfield: no restrictions or review planned
Strathfield Council told Inner West Guide it has no restrictions on smart glasses or other wearable recording devices at council-operated facilities.
Strathfield said it is not currently reviewing or considering new restrictions. It has also received no complaints, reports or concerns involving smart glasses or covert recording at its facilities.
Why are councils looking at smart glasses?
Unlike someone holding up a phone, a person wearing smart glasses may be filming without attracting attention. The eSafety Commissioner warns that their small recording lights can be overlooked, covered or switched off.
For some people with disability, however, the glasses can describe what is in front of them or turn speech into live captions.
Early University of Sydney research analysed 350 publicly available Instagram videos posted between 2023 and 2026 by accounts linked to pickup-artist communities. Within a subset of covert point-of-view clips, they assessed about six in 10 interactions as possible harassment. Around 43 per cent of the videos exposed women to abusive online commentary, sometimes including personal information. The footage was recorded in places including workplaces, gyms and beaches. The findings are from a preprint and have not yet been peer reviewed.
Federal Attorney-General Michelle Rowland has encouraged councils and businesses to consider restrictions at facilities they control. The government's current privacy-law consultation does not include an import ban, although Rowland said other measures had not been ruled out.
What happens next?
Neither council has published a start date for all of its new measures. Smart glasses were already prohibited at City of Sydney pools, while Inner West Council staff still need to report back on implementation.
Canada Bay's position should become clearer at its October meeting. Burwood is continuing its review, and Strathfield is not currently considering any changes.
Inner West Guide will update this story as councils publish further details.
