The Al Madina Dawah Centre, a controversial prayer hall in Sydney's south-west linked to the radical preacher Wissam Haddad, has permanently shut down.
The Bankstown Council issued the owners a cease-use directive in December after learning the site was never approved to operate as a prayer hall.
Today, the owners issued a short statement announcing: "Al Madina Dawah Centre is permanently closed."
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A council investigation in December concluded the premises had only been approved to operate as a medical centre, and the owners never sought authorisation for it to run as a prayer hall.
"Our recent surveillance indicates there is a strong suspicion the premises is being used contrary to its intended use," a council spokesperson said at the time.
Al Madina Dawah Centre has been criticised for its association with Haddad, also known as Abu Ousayd.
Haddad was reportedly associated with the alleged Bondi terrorist Naveed Akram but has denied any prior knowledge of the attack.
He was also found to have breached the Racial Discrimination Act for antisemitic lectures in the Federal Court in July.
Al Madina Dawah Centre, which came under new management in December, insisted Haddad held no management or decision-making authority at the centre and had only attended as an occasional guest speaker.
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It is not the first site forced to close due to its association with Haddad.
Haddad was previously ordered to shut down unauthorised prayer meetings at a venue on Eldon Street in Georges Hall in 2023, which was only approved to operate as a gym.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said today's permanent closure was "evidence of the changes that we're proposing will work", referring to a raft of new measures announced this week to crack down on people operating public places of worship without proper planning approval as a way to clamp down on hate preachers from running "factories of hate".
"These are done behind closed doors, they're not easy to identify, they're very difficult to close down," he said.
"But increasingly, as a result of the broadcast or dissemination of individual sermons or lectures or hate spewed that we can identify, I don't think the rules or laws have been fit for purpose to confront them in our communities."
Minns said he was "struck" when the Bankstown Council could only issue Al Madina Dawah Centre a nominal fine, as he confirmed one of the measures would be increased fines of up to $22,000 for individuals and $220,000 for corporations.
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