NO LAW ON CBD MALL CAMP
City resists Police Minister plea for bylaws to curb homeless problem
CITY Hall says it has no plans to introduce bylaws to stop rough sleepers from camping in the trouble-plagued Little Malop St mall.
Police Minister Lisa Neville has urged the city to introduce the bylaws following violence and an increased presence of homelessness in the area.
CITY Hall says it has no plans to introduce bylaws to stop rough sleepers from camping in the city’s mall despite mounting pressure from State Government.
Police Minister Lisa Neville has urged the City of Greater Geelong to introduce the bylaws following weeks of violence and increased presence of homelessness in the troubleplagued Little Malop St mall.
The increased visibility of homeless in the mall has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks with city workers telling the Geelong Advertiser they had been abused by intoxicated rough sleepers.
While no authorities have committed to pleas from local leaders for a revamp of the mall, Ms Neville said council had the power to ban people from camping in the mall if it wanted to.
“We encourage the City of Greater Geelong to work closely with police and look to put by-laws in place that assist in stopping camping in the mall,” she said.
Councils have the power to introduce local laws that assist in maintaining peace and order of municipal districts.
The bylaws can regulate activities and behaviour on public land including roads, parks and other councilcontrolled land.
Before the bylaws are enshrined in law public submissions must be considered.
City of Greater Geelong director of investment and attraction Brett Luxford said the city had no intention of banning rough sleepers from the CBD.
“At this stage, the City is not proposing to introduce local laws that will impact those sleeping rough in our community,” Mr Luxford said. “Homelessness is a complex, statewide issue that must addressed by community service providers, local councils and the State Government working together to achieve a solution.”
The State Government has provided Neami National more than $2.3 million for outreach programs to find and house rough sleepers and for a supportive housing team to provide support to people who were previously sleeping rough.
Neami National spokeswoman Rebecca Hannon said last week its Assertive Outreach ream had started foot patrols to engage with people in need in a bid to provide emergency housing and work toward long-term solutions.
In 2017, the City of Melbourne abandoned controversial plans to ban homeless camps from the CBD, instead introducing a new protocol allowing compliance officers to move rough sleepers on and confiscate items, including tents and mattresses, if they are unattended, impact on the public space or block entrances to buildings.
But Mr Luxford said the City of Melbourne’s protocol was controversial and had exposed vulnerable people to unnecessary stress.
“The City of Melbourne’s recent introduction of local laws regarding storing possessions in public spaces resulted in conflict across all stakeholders and stress for individuals sleeping rough,” he said.
“The City of Greater Geelong will continue to work together with other agencies to find a long-term meaningful solution for this complex community issue.”