Brisbane’s homeless stressed and confused a week after threats to boot them out

Long-term homeless people living in Brisbane’s parks have been left in the dark one week after the Brisbane City Council announced it would enforce move-on orders to clear them from inner-city spaces.

Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner had said he would give those living in tent encampments 24 hours to pack up and move on, in a bid to open up parkland “for everyone to enjoy”.

A week on, the council said four people had been offered support from the Department of Housing, and were given “oral compliance”, while 14 empty tents had been removed.

Homeless people living in long-term tent encampments across Brisbane’s parks have received an influx of information in the week since the lord mayor announced the council would move them on. Credit: Courtney Kruk

Chief executive Karyn Walsh of not-for-profit Micah Projects, which works with Brisbane’s homeless population, said rough sleepers had been left distressed by an at-times ill-informed debate over the issue.

“Because there’s been a lot of community reaction, a lot of people are getting information from unofficial sources … people get confused,” she said.

She said her organisation – which had provided outreach for rough sleepers during the Cyclone Alfred event – had not received any reports of the council formally advising tent-dwellers to move on.

“The levels of stress are high. There are a lot of people relying on what they’ve been told.”

On Sunday afternoon, activist groups and former Greens councillor Jonathan Sriranganathan rallied in Musgrave Park at South Brisbane to oppose the mooted crackdown.

“Ultimately, what we want and need is more public housing and more supported accommodation for people with complex needs,” Sriranganathan said.

“No one is saying that we want people to keep sleeping in tents in the park long-term, that’s not a solution.”

Public frustration reached fever pitch during a council meeting on Tuesday, when people in the public gallery heckled Schrinner.

Amid calls to “have some humanity,” the lord mayor insisted homeless people had other options.

“You’d have to be pretty heartless to allow people to stay in squalid and dangerous tent encampments when there is crisis accommodation available now,” he said.

The gallery was cleared and police detained two people for breaching the peace. They were given move-on orders and released.

Sriranganathan said the protest probably had a “powerful effect” on councillors.

“It’s so rare for anyone to pay much attention to the council that when people do start protesting it, it really makes them nervous,” he said.

Walsh said Micah Projects had sought updates from the council.

She said she was worried any homeless people moved out of parks and public spaces would still not have proper access to crisis housing.

“There just isn’t enough motels or housing options for people [that can] be offered – this is what the housing crisis has resulted in,” Walsh said.

Sriranganathan vowed to convene another rally outside parliament next week to highlight the government’s role in providing housing.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.