Sydney’s Inner West Council Moves To Restrict AI Smart Glasses

Inner West Council has resolved to prohibit AI smart glasses and other wearable recording devices in its public facilities, but the restriction is not yet fully operational. The decision covers pools, change rooms, childcare centres, public toilets, libraries, community centres and leisure facilities across the Inner West.

Councillors passed the resolution on 22 September 2026, with the decision publicly announced on 23 September 2026. Council staff must now report back on conditions of entry, signage, community communication and staff training before visitors know exactly how the rule will work.

The immediate issue is practical. Residents should not assume the ban is already enforceable at every facility, and the final rules will determine whether visitors must switch off a device, remove it or avoid recording altogether.

Inner West Councillor Kerrie Fergusson said the technology presented both accessibility benefits and serious privacy risks. “The technological landscape is changing at breakneck speed, and that comes with benefits and risks. AI smart glasses are the perfect example,” she said in the council’s 23 September media release.

Fergusson said smart glasses could give people with vision or hearing impairments greater independence, while also allowing discreet high-definition recording and livestreaming. The proposed policy will exempt people who rely on the devices as accessibility technology, including people who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision.

That exemption will be central to the policy’s fairness. Sam Taylor, an access technology lead at Vision Australia, told ABC News that the glasses were a “game changer” for a person with vision impairment because they can read labels, identify objects and support independent travel.

Assistive eyewear has traditionally cost about $5,000, while some smart-glasses options cost roughly one-tenth as much, according to the ABC coverage. The same cameras and microphones that help a user navigate can create concern in a change room, pool, childcare centre or toilet.

Disability organisations have urged councils to focus on how the technology is used, rather than treating every wearer as a privacy risk. Blind Citizens Australia has called for clear exemptions, while the Centre for Accessibility Australia has warned that hostile public language about smart glasses can stigmatise disabled users.

Privacy experts identify a different problem: bystanders may not know when recording is taking place. University of Sydney emerging technology researcher Milica Stilinovic told the ABC that people may only discover they were filmed after footage appears online, particularly when the wearer does not need to hold up a phone or camera.

The eSafety Commissioner has noted that some devices use a small recording light, but bystanders may miss it and some indicators can be covered, disabled or worked around. A 2024 study cited by eSafety found that 17 per cent of smart-glasses owners reported using them in a prohibited way, such as recording others without consent or recording in restricted places.

Existing law does not automatically prohibit every image taken in a public place. The NSW Surveillance Devices Act 2007 regulates some covert audio recording, while the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has warned that the Privacy Act may not cover footage collected and stored by individuals on their own devices before it is uploaded.

That legal uncertainty is pushing councils towards venue rules. Brisbane City Council prohibits photography and recording without prior consent at its 21 public pools, while the City of Sydney voted unanimously on 21 September 2026 to update entry conditions for smart glasses at leisure centres, libraries, council-run childcare centres and community centres.

Brisbane’s approach focuses on non-consensual recording and allows smart glasses to be brought into a pool if they are not used to record without consent. Inner West is considering a broader facility-based restriction that includes libraries, public toilets, childcare centres, change rooms and community venues.

Visitors should check the latest conditions of entry before attending an Inner West facility once the council publishes its implementation details. People who rely on smart glasses for low vision, hearing loss or another disability should ask the facility how the exemption will be handled, rather than assuming they will need to provide medical evidence at the front desk.

Staff will face difficult decisions when the policy begins. They will need to identify camera-equipped glasses without treating ordinary prescription eyewear as suspicious, explain exemptions privately and consistently, and determine whether the final rule applies to wearing the device or recording with it.

The council’s resolution is aimed at facilities it controls, not every footpath, private business or outdoor area in the Inner West. If someone appears to be recording in a change room, toilet, childcare facility or pool, residents should report it to council staff rather than confronting the person themselves.

Inner West Council is developing a broader artificial intelligence strategy alongside the device-specific restriction. Councillor Fergusson said the smart-glasses decision could be an early response to wider questions about privacy, civil liberties and how emerging technology should be governed in everyday public places.

The final implementation report will show whether Inner West adopts a ban on the devices themselves or a conduct rule focused on recording without consent. Until then, the council’s September resolution sets the direction, while the details remain to be decided.