Safety concerns prompt Council's call for more social housing

Published 12 December 2024

Social housing data released by the Crisafulli Government last week lays bare the shocking housing crisis in City of Moreton Bay with 4,421 people on the social housing list - the highest in Queensland. City of Moreton Bay data shows a 90% increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness in the last decade across the City, and a staggering 250% increase in referrals to Council of people sleeping rough over the last two years.

Mayor Peter Flannery today declared City of Moreton Bay was at a tipping point, with the situation now causing serious public safety concerns, impacting access to Council land, and costing Council over $2 million annually.

“There needs to be change now to ensure that all residents can access and feel safe in our public spaces, while still maintaining compassion and support for people experiencing homelessness,” Mayor Flannery said.

City of Moreton Bay currently supports people experiencing homelessness by helping to connect them with the Queensland Government Department of Housing and Public Works and homelessness service providers who are responsible for providing housing assistance and related services. As part of this support, persons experiencing homelessness are able to remain on site if they comply with various responsibilities, which include not impeding reasonable access by other community members and Council officers undertaking their duties, not conducting illegal behaviour and keeping the area clean, safe and tidy.

“Over recent years, with the increase of homelessness in our communities, I have seen more people taking advantage of City of Moreton Bay’s supportive policy and processes, sometimes to the detriment of our broader community. This cannot continue,” Mayor Flannery said.

“Recently we have seen a spate of illegal behaviour at sites including drug taking, assaults, toileting in public, fighting and use of dangerous weapons, dog attacks by animals kept off-leash in public places, alcohol abuse, illegal fires and strewn litter, as well as aggressive and antisocial behaviours towards park users and Council officers.

“The unfortunate reality is the actions of some people has resulted in a number of our public spaces becoming too unsafe or inaccessible for residents of our City and our staff. This is unacceptable.

“Concerns for public safety are mounting in some Council parks and we have received hundreds of calls from residents and visitors citing serious concerns associated with the decline of amenity, access, and safety within some public spaces being occupied by persons experiencing homelessness and illegal campers.

“Council takes the safety of our community very seriously and I am particularly concerned that during this holiday period, our residents and visitors will not be able to access local parks due to threatening behaviour, or there will be an incident that causes the situation to explode.

“From today, we will be bringing our Person’s Experiencing Homelessness Camping Framework back into line with other South East Queensland Councils.

“As the housing and homelessness crisis evolves, so must Council’s policies and practices to ensure that we are striking a reasonable balance between providing support to vulnerable members of our community, maintaining public space amenity and enabling continued and safe access to our public spaces.

“Council’s Local Law Guideline will now prohibit the keeping of animals by all persons camping in Council’s public spaces.

“As a local government, we know the importance of animal management and the public safety risks that come with animals not being kept under effective control.

“Our officers have observed on multiple occasions animals being kept in public places, not under effective control. Given the high number of animals now being kept in public spaces, the level of risk to our community is unacceptable.

“Council will also change guidelines around public space camping undertaken in caravans, camper trailers and other vehicles embellished for the purposes of camping.

“These vehicles are having a detrimental impact on the amenity and accessibility of some public spaces, and they should be utilising dedicated caravan parks.

“It’s illegal to just set up your van or camper trailer anywhere in Australia - this is not a new thing, nor specific to City of Moreton Bay.

“I know that some State Government policies may restrict the ability for caravan users to access caravan parks for extended periods, so I would also call on the State to review and amend its policies where required to provide this necessary flexibility.

“Housing and homelessness are ultimately the responsibility of other levels of government, but as a Council we have worked hard to support those in need, however today I am calling on the State to take their responsibility seriously. I have been vocal about this issue for years now, but it’s reached breaking point.

“I’m over the blame game - now is the time for the State to deal with the situation.

“Our communities are paying a significant price for the State’s dithering. Council is spending over $2 million of rate payer funds annually in our response to camping in public spaces, including dedicating eight staff to specifically respond to the situation

and paying for extra police to accompany our officers to sites that are unsafe. This expenditure has significantly increased over the past 12 months.

“The Queensland Government is responsible for providing safe and appropriate housing including crisis accommodation and social housing options for vulnerable members of our communities. Through their inaction and under-investment over the past decades, we find ourselves in the situation we are today.

“Council does not have the statutory powers to move people on from public spaces nor properly address these safety concerns. This power vests only with the Queensland Police Service and we need more officers on the ground to manage this situation. “Some of our public spaces are now too unsafe or inaccessible for residents of our City and our staff. This in unacceptable and I will not stand for it any longer.

“I have contacted Premier Crisafulli and Minister for Housing and Public Works, Sam O’Connor and written to Minister for Police, Daniel Purdie calling for their increased support.

“We know that this is a tough situation, and over many years, Council has sought to take a balanced approach but enough is enough. “I call on the State Government to return parks and open spaces to our communities by:

• providing homes for those that are being forced to sleep rough

• increasing law enforcement activities to remove those individuals that are compromising the safety and amenity of these areas for our broader community.”

City of Moreton Bay has taken a proactive approach, pioneered initiatives and continues to explore options to combat the effects of the national housing crisis.

Initiatives include Council waiving development fees and infrastructure charges in fifteen suburbs for affordable and social housing, offering Council land under a peppercorn lease, to community housing providers Bric Housing and Coast2Bay Housing Group Ltd, committed $3.7 million to the new Peninsula Support Hub and supported the Redcliffe sleepbus.

City of Moreton Bay has been applauded for its focus on supporting people experiencing homelessness and support services and was most recently recognised by housing and homelessness peak body Q Shelter, for leadership in addressing housing and homelessness challenges at the local government level and in conjunction with the sector.

“We are doing all we can as a local government. It is now time for other levels of government to do what they are responsible for,” Mayor Flannery said.