Moreton Bay Council will convert Wyllie Park in Petrie into a free, legal campsite for people experiencing homelessness under a 12-month trial, offering 60 sites with toilet, refuse, barbecue, and running water facilities, monitored by CCTV and round-the-clock security.
Moreton Bay Council to trial free legal campsite for homeless people at Wyllie Park
Moreton Bay Council will convert Wyllie Park in Petrie into a free, legal campsite for people experiencing homelessness under a 12-month trial, offering 60 sites with toilet, refuse, barbecue, and running water facilities, monitored by CCTV and round-the-clock security.
Wyllie Park is an existing overnight camping area that already has toilets and refuse facilities. The council's trial is intended to serve people who cannot afford standard rent or caravan park fees.
In March, the Supreme Court ruled that Moreton Bay Council had violated the human rights of homeless campers when it evicted them from public parks in 2025.
Mayor Peter Flannery told 612 ABC Brisbane Drive that the site would give support services a centralised location to assist rough sleepers. 'Rather than being scattered across our whole city, let's get them into one location where they can be supported and have some safety,' Flannery said. He added that the court case had shown the council 'shouldn't have asked them to move to somewhere when there was nowhere else to go, so this is providing that somewhere else to go.' Flannery described the camp as not a replacement for social housing.
Beau Haywood, founder of the Nourish Street charity, which provides essential supplies to rough sleepers across Moreton Bay, said he welcomed the announcement but held concerns about how the trial would address the complex needs of people experiencing homelessness. 'Homelessness is not a single group of people,' Haywood said, noting the site could potentially house families with children, elderly people, those with significant mental health issues, people battling addiction, and vulnerable women in the same area.
Haywood said Nourish Street was not consulted by the council before the announcement. 'We're one of the largest [charities] in this area. So, it was a bit disappointing once again that no-one was really sort of spoken to about what was happening or how it was going to be addressed,' he said, adding: 'I just sort of wonder if this is another council knee-jerk reaction.'
Haywood also said the 60-site limit may be insufficient, noting that Nourish Street's most recent food distribution run in Moreton Bay visited 174 sites. He said: 'Simply providing somewhere for people to pitch a tent without adequate support, security and pathways into permanent housing risks creating another problem, whether they are solving one we already have.'
- Which specific support services, if any, have been confirmed to operate at the site during the trial.
- The total estimated number of people experiencing homelessness across the Moreton Bay region.
- Whether any other charities or service providers beyond Nourish Street were or were not consulted.
- The cost of the trial to the council.
- What criteria, if any, will determine who may use the 60 sites.
- What happens to participants or the site at the end of the 12-month trial period.
- Details of the Supreme Court ruling beyond the finding that the council violated homeless campers' human rights.
Read the original at ABC News Australia