State development body shuts down council approved homeless park

Detailed summary

A park north of Brisbane set up for people experiencing homelessness will be shut down, after the Queensland government’s development body told the council to nix the operation.…

A park north of Brisbane set up for people experiencing homelessness will be shut down, after the Queensland government’s development body told the council to nix the operation.

The City of Moreton Bay voted in August to approve a 12-month trial for Wyllie Park, in Petrie, to be used as a free tent camp.

The park, near Petrie station, was already being used by rough sleepers without approval, but it seems the official tick was not appreciated by the state.

The park is part of a government Priority Development Area (PDA), which are ruled over by Economic Development Queensland (EDQ).

The Moreton Bay Indoor Sports Centre for Brisbane 2032 will be built nearby as part of that PDA, with construction expected to begin in 2027.

A letter from EDQ chief Julian Simmonds tabled at Thursday’s Moreton Bay council meeting cited the park’s inclusion in a PDA as reason to issue a show-cause notice to have Wyllie Park closed.

Simmonds said he would not take further action if the council did not register any new campers and take compliance measures against anyone sleeping where they shouldn’t in the park going forward.

“The fact is that we could spend millions of dollars of ratepayer funds fighting this Show Cause in court only to lose anyway,” he said.

“Council allowed free camping for people experiencing homelessness at Wyllie Park in an attempt to provide a short-term solution to what is a state issue of chronic homelessness in City of Moreton Bay.

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Sydney Morning Herald. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.