Big spend fails to stop trashing of ‘Cairns’ brand by city itinerants

City business owners say anti-social antics – including naked homeless people urinating, defecating and washing in public – is damaging the FNQ brand.

Despite millions invested in combating drunken behaviour CBD business owners say daily antics including naked homeless people urinating, defecating and washing, a stone’s throw from the city’s dining precinct is damaging the Far North’s international reputation.

In 2020 Labor pledged $6m over four years to deliver services and improve a desperate situation for CBD traders.

In the same year a further $4m was spent to add 14 beds to the Lyons St Diversionary Centre, a project that enters final construction phases this week.

Later in 2020 two further staff were added to the specialist police team labelled Cairns Anti-social and Public Space squad after it was formed in 2015.

Drunken itinerants lie passed out in the middle of the Cairns CBD. Picture: Supplied

And Cairns Regional Council has spent millions beefing up security and installing a network of CCTV devices.

But in 2023, according to traders, the situation is worse than it ever has been.

After years of sitting empty, the Quigley Street night shelter at Bungalow is being worked on, with contractors cleaning out the dormitory buildings once used by the homeless. Old bed frames were removed from the dormitory rooms last week. Picture: Brendan Radke

Nightly break-ins targeting venues that keep alcohol on the premises, snatch-and-grab style thefts from alfresco diners, fighting, urinating and defecating in the street is forcing business owners to consider leaving the CBD.

Third generation Cairns local and owner of Splash Seafood, Megan McKay, said she was embarrassed about the decline in the vicinity of her Esplanade restaurant.

A group of itinerants hanging out at the Pelican public barbecue on the Cairns Esplanade. Picture: Supplied

“It’s embarrassing, come to my restaurant, sit and have a coral trout and nice bottle of wine and see (homeless people) wash their arse in front of you,” she said.

“We have just been inundated, they are sleeping on the Pelican barbecue on the Esplanade.

“And they are urinating in our pot plants.

A woman passed out in the street outside Woolworths on Lake St clutching a bottle of booze.

“It’s not nice for visitors and it’s going to tarnish our reputation as a tourist city.

“It has been going on for a long time but it has got progressively worse this year.”

Forming part of the solution to a complicated social problem in the city could be the re-establishing of the long disused Quigley St Night Shelter. QBuild workers and cleaners were on site last week repairing the vandalised structure after it closed in 2020.

Owner of Splash Seafood restaurant Megan McKay frequently witnesses daily anti-social behaviour opposite her business on the Esplanade. Picture: Brendan Radke

“The department has engaged QBuild to scope and document the works required to upgrade the Quigley Street Shelter to make it a safe and suitable facility to deliver temporary supported accommodation,” a Department of Housing spokesman said.

A drunk man sleeps in the Shields Street Mall. Picture: Brendan Radke

In an email last week to Cairns MP Michael Healy, Mayor Bob Manning, CBD councillor Amy Eden and Deputy Mayor Terry James, Cairns CBRE boss Danny Betros let loose about an escalating situation.

“And the circus continued (on Tuesday) with an impressive brawl and screaming in front of Acacia Court Hotel plus a lovely group of degenerates openly drinking with the usual foul language right next to Muddies for all to enjoy,” he wrote.

A group of itinerants on the footpath outside a business at the corner of Lake and Shields streets in the Cairns CBD. Picture: Supplied

“Brand ‘Cairns’ is being trashed by the (the iterant) community and that’s a fact.

“There are more retailers about to move out of the CBD because of this situation that no one will address.”

Asked about how investment has improved outcomes in the CBD the Department of Housing was coy in its response.

“The Queensland Government is committed to assisting people who are at risk of harm due to intoxication in public spaces,” a spokesman said.

In terms of how $6m allocated for service delivery would be spent, the department cited an expansion of a Community Patrol Service outreach service that assists at-risk people and provides an intensive case management service, but declined to state if investment had been effective.

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Originally published as Big spend fails to stop trashing of ‘Cairns’ brand by city itinerants