Editorial: It’s time to put politics aside and do what’s right

Occasionally, a government is presented with an idea which requires very little analysis. Using the Pinkenba quarantine facility to house the homeless is one of those ideas, writes the editor.

Using the Pinkenba quarantine facility to house the homeless really is a no-brainer.

Formulating public policy, meeting the requirements of competing interests and trying to assess the best possible manner in which to spend taxpayer dollars is a far more difficult task than the public often realises.

But, occasionally, a government is presented with an idea which requires very little analysis, and which provides at least part of the solution to a seemingly intractable problem.

The military-owned Centre for National Resilience was created at the height of the pandemic threat as a quarantine facility and cost around $400 million to build.

It has 500 beds available yet, since its completion late last year, has been sitting empty.

Brisbane Lord Mayor, Adrian Schrinner, to his great credit, has been pursuing the idea of opening up the facility to the homeless for months as the threat posed by the pandemic fades.

That is reflective of the Mayor’s publicly expressed concerns about the rising tide of homelessness in Brisbane and his ongoing quest to find solutions to what could develop into a long-term problem for the city.

The Pinkenba Quarantine Facility. Source: Brisbane City Council.

As Cr Schrinner has said many times, Brisbane’s most recent homeless are, in many cases, ordinary residents who maintain family structures and even regular employment records.

But their lives have been up-ended by a tight rental market and soaring house prices which have put unprecedented strain on temporary accommodation which would otherwise accommodate such people.

These people need our help, and this facility would go some way to easing their plight.

As Cr Schrinner puts it bluntly:

“There are 500 beds available right now and at the moment, the only residents in the quarantine facilities are insects and spiders.’’

It has now been almost 300 days since Cr Schrinner first raised the prospect.

Today we learn council is willing to chip in $1 million to help bring Pinkenba up to a stronger standard to house people. This includes things like laundry facilities, transport and library services.

All of this of course is much better than the park benches and parks people have been forced to live in as the housing crisis continues to bite.

This contribution is well outside the normal remit of local government services and signals just how badly Brisbane City Council wants to tackle the problem.

The Pinkenba Quarantine Facility. Source: Brisbane City Council.

The State Government, after much equivocation, has said discussions are under way to possibly use the facility to house the homeless.

Yet the Federal Government, which in March all but ruled out the idea of opening up the doors to the homeless, seems to be continuing its stone walling.

The reasons are, obviously, political.

But to put politics above the urgent need to safely accommodate fellow Queenslanders who are living in cars and tents is truly cynical.

We deserve better from our politicians.

The Pinkenba facility is a long way removed from being the solution to our homeless problem.

But it offers, at least, part of the solution while we continue to work on more long term remedies.