Editorial: The homeless camping at QVB shows the crisis needs to be solved

The majestic Queen Victoria Building, one of Sydney’s landmark structures, has dealt with some difficulties during its 126 years. But certain difficulties remain. Outside the QVB is now a home for the homeless. The problem is no one has a solution.

The majestic Queen Victoria Building, one of Sydney’s landmark structures, has dealt with some difficulties during its 126 years.

In fact, those difficulties began almost from the outset, when only around a quarter of the QVB’s available areas were taken up by retail tenants.

A few decades later, losses had grown to the tens of millions. By the 1950s a serious push was on to raze the QVB.

Even into the 1960s, the QVB was considered by some to be an outdated firetrap.

Sanity prevailed, thankfully, and a mid-1980s revival saw the QVB restored to its current ­impressive condition. But ­certain difficulties remain.

Two homeless people camped outside the QVB in the city. Picture: John Grainger

The outside of the QVB is now a home for the homeless. Old mattresses, crates, furniture and the homeless themselves compete for footpath space with shoppers and pedestrians.

This obvious problem, ­according to the City of Sydney Council and the NSW Government, has no obvious solution.

Whether responsibility lies with the council, the government or the police is also in dispute.

“Homelessness is the responsibility of the State Government,” a City of Sydney spokeswoman said.

But NSW Police say dealing with the camp is “up to the City of ­Sydney Council. It’s not our ­responsibility”.

Adding to the drama, some among the QVB’s footpath community don’t want any help or prefer the streets to supplied accommodation.

“Some of the people there are in public housing,” a spokesman for Social Housing Minister Pru Goward said. “Others have ­declined assistance.”

The QVB is a lucrative zone for homeless people. Picture John Grainger

Some of the homeless have housing while others have declined assistance. Picture: John Grainger

“A small number of people who have permanent housing spend some time on the streets during the day … and many ask for money.”

Those people ought to be moved along as a matter of priority. They have housing. They have options. Hanging around the QVB for no useful purpose at all should not be one of them.

The QVB is a lucrative zone for homeless people, be they genuinely homeless or not. Shoppers whose consciences are stung by the sight of apparently destitute people are frequent suppliers of small change.

But enough is enough. The NSW government needs to send the fake homeless to their acc­ommodation and to deal with the remainder by making begging in central Sydney illegal.

MUNDINE’S GILMORE GAMBLE

Warren Mundine obviously isn’t scared of a challenge.

Which is just as well, because the former federal ALP president is taking on an enormous battle as the Liberal candidate for the seat of Gilmore on the NSW south coast.

Warren Mundine could be a great challenger for the seat of Gilmore. Picture: James Croucher

Although usually held by the Liberals, Gilmore now rests on a margin of less than 1 per cent. Mundine has family history in the area, but also faces the difficulty of being perceived as an outsider.

Against that, Mundine could prove a very compelling campaigner.

He is across coastal issues and his engaging personal style may be a decisive factor. Good on him for having a go.

TESTING A DAD’S PATIENCE

Various experts have offered their views of the benefits of introducing drug testing at music events.

Through repetition, those views are now very well known.

Less well known is the pressure applied to some with a deeply personal stake in this issue to take up the cause of normalising drug use.

As The Daily Telegraph reveals, a group of doctors tried to convince Tony Wood to be the face of a campaign teaching kids how to do drugs safely.

This occurred the day after Wood had buried his teenage daughter

Tony Wood was shocked after doctors persuaded him to use their tragedy to teach kids how to do drugs safely. Picture: Richard Dobson

His daughter Anna Wood died after taking a MDMA pill. Picture: Richard Dobson

Sydney schoolgirl Anna Wood died in 2005 after taking MDMA, or ecstasy.

“We were approached by the Australia Medical Association to start a new education campaign,” Wood wrote to NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian.

“These ‘professionals’ spent an hour persuading us to use our tragedy to teach kids how to take drugs safely. We left that meeting shocked and horrified.”

The campaign for drug testing is wounding to Wood, because it would not have saved his daughter’s life. The pill she took was uncontaminated.