Sad photo of 'foul' camping scene highlights growing Aussie problem
Whether they're sleeping in a tent, a car or on someone's couch, a growing number of Aussies are becoming 'trapped', according to a federal government report.
A lone dog can be seen wading through a homeless encampment littered with rubbish and broken items in a photograph that has caused furious debate online and become the latest visual example of a growing national problem in Australia.
Taken at Gayundah Coastal Arboretum in Moreton Bay, about 40km north of Brisbane, a handful of tents catering to rough sleepers can be seen amongst the mess.
The photo was shared to social media on Friday by a local without comment other than to provide the location. It quickly sparked frustration and debate among residents.
"I feel so sorry that life has resorted to this for them, but at the same time it's not hard to keep a camp clean and tidy. This is foul," one woman wrote.
"I know what is like to be living in a tent or car but that is no excuse to not clean up," another agreed.
Most locals sympathised but expressed real anger over the waste piling up in the area. Others, meanwhile, urged council to put more bins in the area.
The City of Moreton Bay has seen homeless populations nearly double in the past decade, according to the latest census data.
"Over the last two years, referrals to Council of people sleeping rough have increased by a staggering 250 per cent," then Acting Mayor Jodie Shipway said in October. "The social housing system has not kept pace with the pressure that has been put on it, and that pressure has increased locally."
In December, the City of Moreton Bay made highly controversial amendments to a local law which banned rough sleepers from having pets, as well as prohibiting them from sleeping in vans on public land, with threats of fines worth more than $800.
Mayor Peter Flannery at the time said the council had been "too lenient" in its policies around homeless people.
"Recently we have seen a spate of illegal behaviour at sites including drug taking, assaults, toileting in public, fighting and use of dangerous weapons, dog attacks by animals kept off-leash in public places, alcohol abuse, illegal fires and strewn litter, as well as aggressive and antisocial behaviours towards park users and Council officers," he said.
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'More Australians than ever are trapped' as homelessness rises
While Moreton Bay's measures have made plenty of headlines, the city's council is far from the only one grappling with the problem.
Long-term homelessness is surging as housing becomes increasingly unaffordable, sparking urgent calls for increased investment in support services.
There were 37,779 people experiencing persistent homelessness in 2023/24 – an increase of 25 per cent from five years earlier – the Productivity Commission found in its yearly report on government services released this past week.
The proportion of people facing persistent homelessness, defined as people who use homelessness services for more than seven months over a 24-month period, climbed to 22.5 per cent.
They were grim findings, Homelessness Australia chief executive Kate Colvin said.
"More Australians than ever are trapped in long-term homelessness and even those who find housing are struggling to maintain it without adequate support," she said.
Despite annual funding for homelessness services rising 26 per cent to $1.5 billion since 2019/20, an average of 208 people were still turned away each day.
"Over the year, that amounts to 53,292 people - one in three of those needing accommodation - who received no housing assistance at all," Ms Colvin said.
The rise in long-term homelessness has occurred alongside the cost of housing, including rents, new home purchases and utilities, surging by almost a quarter since before the pandemic, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
with AAP
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