Craig Caldicott OAM recently appeared on both ABC Radio Adelaide with Sonya Feldhoff and Jules Schiller and FIVEaa Breakfast with Will Goodings and Stacey Lee, discussing the South Australian Government’s proposal to extend the declared public precinct in Adelaide’s CBD and the broader implications for civil liberties, homelessness and community safety.

Drawing on more than four decades of legal experience, Craig examined the balance between giving police additional powers to maintain public safety and protecting the rights of vulnerable members of the community.

What is a declared public precinct?

During his ABC Radio Adelaide interview, Craig explained that the declared public precinct covers a substantial section of Adelaide’s CBD, including areas bounded by the city parklands and key city streets.

Within these declared precincts, police have enhanced powers, including the ability to:

• Conduct weapon searches.
• Use metal detection wands.
• Undertake drug detection activities.
• Issue move-on directions.
• Impose barring orders preventing people from returning to the area for a specified period.

These powers have been a feature of Adelaide’s CBD for several years and the Government is seeking to extend them further.

Balancing safety and civil liberties

Speaking on both ABC Radio Adelaide and FIVEaa, Craig acknowledged that many people support these measures because they believe they improve safety in the city.

However, he questioned whether simply expanding police powers addresses the underlying issues that contribute to antisocial behaviour and community concerns.

Craig noted that while the Law Society does not oppose the renewal of the precinct powers itself, there is concern that the policy often shifts problems from one location to another rather than solving them.

“They’re simply moving the problem,” Craig explained.

According to Craig, the real challenges often involve homelessness, mental health issues, substance abuse and social disadvantage rather than purely law enforcement matters.

Impact on vulnerable people

A key focus of Craig’s commentary was the effect these powers can have on vulnerable members of the community.

He highlighted the practical reality faced by people experiencing homelessness. When someone is moved on from one area of the city, the question remains: Where do they go?

Craig argued that enforcement powers alone cannot resolve homelessness and may simply displace individuals without addressing the circumstances that brought them there.

He also noted that many of the people affected by these laws are among the most vulnerable in society, making it particularly important that policy responses remain balanced and proportionate.

Existing laws already address antisocial behaviour

During the interviews, Craig pointed out that police already possess powers to deal with genuinely disorderly or unlawful conduct.

Where individuals are engaging in antisocial behaviour, existing legislation allows police to take action through arrest and other traditional law enforcement measures.

His concern was that expanded powers risk affecting people not because they have committed an offence, but because of concerns about their presence in a particular location.

Addressing the causes rather than the symptoms

Both interviews returned to a broader question: how can governments improve public safety while also addressing the social issues contributing to problems within the CBD?

Craig’s view was that greater investment in homelessness services, accommodation and support programs would have a far more lasting impact.

Providing safe accommodation, access to support services and practical assistance could reduce many of the issues that currently lead to calls for stronger policing powers.

As Craig observed, these are fundamentally social problems that require social solutions.

An ongoing community conversation

The debate surrounding Adelaide’s declared public precinct highlights a difficult challenge faced by governments across Australia: balancing public safety with individual freedoms.

Craig’s comments on both ABC Radio Adelaide and FIVEaa emphasised the importance of ensuring that legal responses remain proportionate, evidence-based and respectful of civil liberties while also recognising the legitimate concerns of businesses, residents and visitors to the city.

His interviews continue a long-standing commitment to public legal education and informed discussion about the laws that affect every day South Australians.