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https://www.theguardian.com/global/2025/mar/13/brisbane-council-accused-of-cruel-and-heartless-crackdown-on-homeless-in-wake-of-cyclone-alfred>
"For a year and a half, Paul Slater has helped provide homeless Brisbane
residents a place to live.
He’s handed out hundreds of tents; during the city’s worst housing crisis in
living memory, they’ve proven a residence of last resort for many.
On Thursday, Slater, the head of North West Community Group, was threatened
with a fine by Brisbane city council if he persisted.
“The council has essentially told me that I had 24 hours to remove the tents
from Musgrave Park, and that I’m not allowed to put tents on public land any
more, and that they would be enforcing the laws, which allow them to fine up to
$8,000 for putting tents up,” Slater says.
“They’re trying to make it illegal to be homeless, which is the same thing that
the Moreton council have done.”
In the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Alfred, Brisbane city council on Thursday
announced a plan to crack down on rough sleepers, asking police to “ensure
anyone living in a park who has refused accommodation is moved on within 24
hours”.
The lord mayor, Adrian Schrinner, said the council would also “remove unused
empty tents”.
He’s not the first; a similar crackdown by the City of Moreton Bay went into
effect on Wednesday. Schrinner said his action came in response to reports
“people who are homeless by choice” are planning to “pour into Brisbane” from
Moreton Bay.
Condemnation was swift. The Greens called it “cruel and hypocritical”. The
Labor council opposition said it was “heartless”."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
