A controversial push to broadcast the Islamic call to prayer through loudspeakers from Sydney’s Lakemba Mosque has suffered another major setback, with Canterbury-Bankstown Council finding the proposal unacceptable in its current form amid concerns about noise and a flood of community objections.
The Lebanese Muslim Association wants four loudspeakers installed on the minaret of Lakemba Mosque, widely described as Australia’s largest mosque, to broadcast the Adhan once each Friday.
The latest proposal has reportedly attracted more than 1,600 objections, turning what began as a local development application into a fierce debate over religious expression, neighbourhood amenity and whether amplified religious broadcasts should be heard beyond the boundaries of places of worship.
According to reports published on Tuesday, council staff have concluded the proposed broadcast could create unacceptable noise impacts for surrounding residents and have raised a series of critical concerns with the application.
The proposal has therefore been effectively knocked back in its current form, leaving the Lebanese Muslim Association with a choice: abandon the bid, modify it, or commission further independent acoustic work to satisfy council planners.
However, the matter is not formally over.
The NSW Government Planning Portal continued to list development application DA-518/2026 as “Under Consideration” following the latest council action, meaning a final determination has not yet been recorded on the state’s official planning system.
The distinction is important because the mosque has already been through one unsuccessful attempt to secure approval.
An earlier application to install the same number of loudspeakers was formally determined and refused in August 2025. The NSW Planning Portal records that application as “Determined”.
The Lebanese Muslim Association returned this year with another development application, hoping additional acoustic evidence and revised operating conditions would overcome the objections that sank the first proposal.
The latest application was lodged in May and seeks permission for four loudspeakers on the mosque’s existing minaret. It was publicly exhibited until June 9.
Media reports have described the proposed broadcast as occurring once a week on Friday around midday and lasting up to 15 minutes. Earlier reporting on the new application said the association argued only around 20 nearby homes would be materially affected.
The Lebanese Muslim Association has argued the broadcast would be controlled, limited and consistent with the character of Lakemba, which has one of Australia’s largest Muslim populations.
Supporters have also compared the Adhan to church bells, arguing Australia’s commitment to religious freedom should allow different faith communities to publicly express their traditions under reasonable noise restrictions.
Lebanese Muslim Association secretary Gamel Kheir previously questioned why church bells could be accepted while the Islamic call to prayer faced resistance.
“If the church bells are allowed to ring — and we are in favour of those bells ringing — then why are we not allowed to do the call to prayer?” he said in earlier comments reported by The Daily Telegraph.
Mr Kheir previously maintained that people living outside the immediate surroundings of the mosque were unlikely to hear the broadcast and said local sentiment towards the proposal had been positive.
But the scale of formal opposition tells a different story.
More than 1,600 objections have reportedly been lodged against the latest proposal, dramatically higher than the opposition recorded during the mosque’s previous attempt.
Council’s concerns centre on whether the amplified call would remain within acceptable noise limits and whether residents outside the immediate section of Haldon Street could be affected.
Council reportedly commissioned an independent acoustic engineer after questions emerged over the noise modelling submitted on behalf of the mosque.
That review has now become a major obstacle for the application.
Canterbury-Bankstown councillor Barbara Coorey, one of the most outspoken opponents of the proposal, has called on the Lebanese Muslim Association to withdraw it.
Cr Coorey has insisted her position is not directed at Islam but is based on a broader objection to amplified religious noise affecting residential neighbourhoods.
She has previously said she would oppose disruptive Christian church bells under the same circumstances and argued religious groups should be treated consistently.
Following the latest setback, she reportedly said the proposal did not stand up under existing planning regulations and “doesn’t pass the pub test”.
The issue has generated increasingly heated public debate.
Independent councillor Saud Abu-Sameh has publicly supported the mosque’s position and, according to reports, suggested residents annoyed by the sound could close their windows.
That response further fuelled criticism from opponents, who argue residents should not be expected to change how they use their homes to accommodate externally amplified religious broadcasts.
The Lebanese Muslim Association and its supporters have framed the campaign differently.
A petition backing the proposal declares:
“This is not about noise. This is about belonging.”
The association argues the Adhan is an important expression of faith and identity for Muslims in an area where Islam forms a major part of the local community.
Opponents argue the planning system must judge the proposal on its physical effect on neighbours, not on whether the religious message being broadcast is popular or culturally important.
That is ultimately the hurdle confronting the mosque.
Religious freedom does not automatically remove planning requirements governing noise, amenity and development.
The controversy is particularly significant because Lakemba Mosque occupies an important place in Australian Muslim life.
The mosque has long been one of the country’s most prominent Islamic institutions and regularly attracts thousands of worshippers, particularly during Ramadan and major religious celebrations.
It has also recently faced serious anti-Muslim threats.
In February, Australian police investigated a threatening letter sent to the mosque ahead of Ramadan, with authorities increasing security around religious sites.
Those incidents underline the need to separate legitimate debate about planning and noise from hostility directed at Muslims because of their religion.
The current application nevertheless presents a straightforward question for council planners: regardless of the religion involved, should a place of worship be permitted to use external loudspeakers where officials believe the noise could unreasonably affect surrounding residents?
For the second time in little more than a year, Lakemba Mosque is struggling to clear that hurdle.
Its first loudspeaker application ended in formal refusal.
Its second has now run into another major roadblock after more than 1,600 objections and adverse concerns about its acoustic impact.
The Lebanese Muslim Association can attempt to rescue the proposal with further acoustic evidence or amendments.
But unless it can convince council that four loudspeakers broadcasting the Friday Adhan will comply with planning and noise requirements, the renewed bid appears to be heading towards the same outcome as the first.
For now, the message from council planners is clear: religious expression may be protected, but amplified noise still has to comply with the rules that apply to everyone.
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