Brisbane's Free Camp for Rough Sleepers
· news
Brisbane’s Patchwork Solution to Homelessness
The City of Moreton Bay council has voted to establish a 12-month trial for a free camp at Wyllie Park, north of Brisbane, in an effort to address homelessness in the region. This decision is the latest chapter in the ongoing struggle to provide adequate housing and support services for those in need.
Wyllie Park’s history as a roadside testing area has left scars on its landscape, with remnants visible today. The council’s decision to create a designated camping site acknowledges that rough sleepers will continue to occupy public spaces until more effective solutions are implemented.
Councillor Jim Moloney noted, “The question is not whether people experiencing homelessness will camp at Wyllie Park; they already do.” He highlighted the stark reality that the number of people at risk of or experiencing homelessness has nearly doubled in less than three years, outpacing the growth of social housing. This trend mirrors many urban areas where supply struggles to keep pace with demand.
The establishment of this camp may seem like a pragmatic response to an immediate problem, but its implications are worth considering. The council’s attempt to manage homelessness through park management rather than addressing root causes—such as lack of affordable housing and adequate support services—is a Band-Aid solution that does little to address systemic issues driving homelessness.
Mayor Peter Flannery asserted that this is “not a silver bullet.” Crisis accommodation, longer-term community housing, and robust support services are the real solutions needed. Yet, the council’s actions reflect a broader societal trend: treating symptoms without tackling underlying problems. By doing so, we risk creating more of the very problem we’re trying to solve.
This decision comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling against Moreton Bay council for violating the human rights of homeless individuals in 2025. The use of excavators to destroy shelters and remove belongings was widely criticized, highlighting the need for a more compassionate approach to addressing homelessness.
The camp will bring benefits such as access to toilets, rubbish removal, CCTV footage, and support services. However, it’s crucial to remember that these are basic human rights that should not be conditional on whether one is housed or unhoused. The real question is whether such measures merely serve as a palliative for deeper issues.
As the trial begins, it will be interesting to see how this experiment unfolds. Will it provide a model for other communities struggling with homelessness? Or will it serve as a temporary fix that obscures more profound problems? One thing is clear: treating homelessness through park management alone will not solve the crisis; instead, it risks perpetuating systemic neglect.
The real challenge lies ahead: addressing structural issues driving homelessness and ensuring that all individuals have access to safe housing and support. Until then, patchwork solutions like this camp will continue to be necessary evils, but they must not distract us from the ultimate goal of providing comprehensive services and a place for every individual to call home.
Reader Views
- CSCorrespondent S. Tan · field correspondent
The Wyllie Park free camp is a temporary fix that glosses over the city's responsibility to provide decent housing and support services for its most vulnerable residents. What's often overlooked in this narrative is the fact that many of these individuals are not homeless by choice but rather pushed out of the rental market due to rising costs, strict tenancy laws, and inadequate social safety nets. Until we address these systemic issues, patches like Wyllie Park will only serve as Band-Aids on a gaping wound.
- RJReporter J. Avery · staff reporter
This campsite solution is a Band-Aid for a festering wound. While it acknowledges the reality of homelessness in Brisbane, it sidesteps the root issue: a housing market that's rapidly gentrifying and pricing out low-income residents. Councillors tout this as a temporary fix, but I worry about the precedent it sets – normalizing homelessness in public spaces rather than tackling the systemic failures that led to it in the first place. Where are the long-term plans for redeveloping Wyllie Park into affordable housing or integrating social services?
- ADAnalyst D. Park · policy analyst
While the Wyllie Park trial aims to provide a safe haven for rough sleepers, it's crucial to scrutinize the long-term implications of creating designated camping sites without concurrently addressing the systemic barriers driving homelessness. Specifically, how will this initiative be evaluated and measured for success? What metrics will be used to assess its impact on alleviating homelessness, and what contingency plans are in place should the trial not yield the desired results? Without clear answers, Brisbane risks perpetuating a short-term fix that may ultimately hinder more effective solutions from being implemented.