$50,000 fine for unsafe backpackers

A QUEENSLAND woman has been sentenced over her budget accommodation for backpackers, with the magistrate saying she had scant regard for the law.

Mayla Bailey was fined $50,000 but given a wholly suspended jail term. Picture: Jack Tran

A GATTON woman who was running unsafe budget accommodation for backpackers and itinerant farm workers was today given a three-month suspended jail term and fined $50,000.

Mayla Patterson, 50, pleaded guilty in Toowoomba Magistrates Court to 40 charges brought against her by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.

They related to building fire safety breaches in seven leased houses she was operating as budget accommodation in the Gatton area, from late 2015 to January this year.

Today’s $50,000 fine comes after Ms Patterson was fined $15,000 in 2013 and $10,000 in 2015, and pay legal costs, for similar offences relating to unsafe budget accommodation.

She failed to adequately display emergency exit diagrams and had inadequate emergency lighting and smoke alarms at the hostels, which could house a number of boarders.

Magistrate Catherine Pirie said Ms Patterson showed no or scant regard for the law requiring compliance with fire safety standards in budget accommodation.

“QFES conducts regular inspections of budget accommodation buildings across Queensland to confirm they have compliant fire safety protocols,’’ QFES Commissioner Katrina Carroll said.

“The facilities operated by Ms Patterson were unacceptable.

“If a fire had started in one of these buildings, our officers were concerned that people residing there may not have escaped due to the negligence of fire safety requirements.”

The three-month jail term was wholly suspended for four years. Ms Patterson was also ordered to pay $2000 in legal costs.

Ms Patterson told the court she no longer offered any budget accommodation in the three buildings she leased in the Gatton area.

Manager of QFES compliance and prosecution unit Mark Halverson said there had been 7000 inspections of more than 3000 budget accommodation buildings in Queensland since January, 2007.