A Queensland Councillor Wants To Criminalise Homelessness
The Gold Coast mayor does not support the proposal.
A Gold Coast councillor is pushing to criminalise homelessness again by reinstating a law that was scrapped for good reason.
Brooke Patterson is calling for the vagrancy act to be reinstated so authorities have more power to intervene in cases of homelessness, giving them temporary accommodation.
For those unfamiliar, the vagrancy act — introduced way back in 1931 — stated that any person without “visible lawful means of support” could be fined $100 or imprisoned for up to six months. Considering the fact that visible means of support often pertain to money and/or housing, these laws often resulted in people being imprisoned for simply being homeless.
While Patterson admitted that the plan “sounds harsh” she asserted that it would actually help to implement support services for those who need it most. However, homeless services, legal experts, and even the Gold Coast mayor have all disagreed with the proposal.
“The act was repealed because it sounds bad, but the problem by not having it is police, other agencies have no power if someone on the streets is beyond help because of drug addiction etcetera,” Patterson told the ABC.
Despite the fact that the criminalisation of homelessness has repeatedly been criticised by human rights advocates and legal experts, Patterson claims the plan to jail them for it is to ensure they have a bed and healthcare.
“Right now people have a legal right to die in a drunk stupor on the street, but if we had both of these legislations he would not be on the street,” said Patterson. “Under the vagrancy act they would be put in a jail facility, which sounds terrible — but for one month they have a bed, are properly medicated, are treated for their health issues, seeing doctors and connected to a housing environment.”
Even if we ignore the obvious fact that Australia’s prison healthcare system is deeply flawed, simply imprisoning people for being homeless doesn’t resolve any of the issues at hand, and will likely result in them returning to homelessness upon release. University of Queensland professor Tamara Walsh stressed that imprisonment is not the solution to homelessness.
“What we’ve found is that the only real solution to the problem of the criminalisation of homelessness, is to find people appropriate, safe and supported accommodation,” she told the ABC. “The criminal law has no role to play with the issue of homelessness.”
The proposal comes after a new report from Mission Australia’s Youth Survey found that almost one in 20 Queenslanders aged 15 to 19 have become homeless for the first time during the pandemic.
“While many of us were fortunate enough to take sanctuary in safe, secure homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, one in 20 young people in QLD were plunged into homelessness for the first time in their lives is an unacceptable figure,” said Queensland Mission Australia State Director Stephen Vines of the findings. “This report shows just how harmful the experience of youth homelessness can be for a young person’s wellbeing, their life and their future.”