The lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, has refused to clear the Martin Place “tent city” unless the state government agrees to a list of demands, including a guarantee of new long-term housing for the homeless and an extension of a levy on developers to build such housing.
Moore and the New South Wales social housing minister, Pru Goward, are locked in a standoff over the camp in Sydney’s city centre.
Goward told reporters on Friday her preferred solution was an immediate clearing of the camp’s equipment, with police supervision, enacted by the council under s125 of the Local Government Act.
But Moore presented a list of demands, asking for long-term accommodation to be provided to the Martin Place residents, for the state government to fund a new housing facility for homeless people, and that the council be allowed to extend its affordable housing levy across the city.
“The City supports the right of people who are homeless to be in public places...I do not support moving homeless and vulnerable people from public spaces without certainty of necessary support and housing,” she said.
She also suggested that the Sirius building, built in the late 1970s to house public housing tenants, should be the site of the new facility.
Without Moore’s co-operation, the state government would have to use its own power under the Crown Lands Act, which Goward said could take months.
I've just met with the Minister & Police Commissioner and a representative of the Premier - and asked them to respond to this letter today pic.twitter.com/HjM6qYLFsT
— Clover Moore (@CloverMoore) August 4, 2017
Moore said Goward would respond by Friday afternoon, as all parties had expressed a desire for a quick resolution.
Goward told reporters there was “a small glimmer of hope” that Moore would join the state government and police in moving to clear the tent city over the weekend.
She said her department would offer residents temporary housing, and the council should remove equipment such as knives and “containers that boil water”, which are prohibited in Martin Place.
The police commissioner, Mick Fuller, said they did not have the power to move the residents, unless there was violence, crime or a breach of the peace.
On Friday afternoon, residents of the camp told Guardian Australia they were skeptical of the promise of permanent housing.
Rewi, a volunteer at the camp, said the residents “don’t trust the government”.
“It’s hard to believe because a lot of residents have been waiting over 30 years [for permanent housing]. A homeless facility would be great but run by who? The state government? A lot of these people don’t trust the government.”
Troy, an 18-year old who has lived in the camp for weeks, did not believe the promise and said the camp should stay.
“They have been promising us permanent accommodation ever since the start of the place,” he said.
“Once we’re in housing, we don’t get permanent accommodation. They may say that, but all that does is make them look good. Myself and my wife and many of these other people just get kicked back out on the streets in a week.
“This place is helping the homeless become a part of the community here. In this place we feed 100 people a day. You’re taking away everything we worked so hard to build.”
Goward visited the camp on Friday afternoon and spoke to residents, as did staff from NSW Family and Community Services.
Organiser Lanz Priestley told her that much of the temporary accommodation offered to residents had no cooking facilities, and welcomed Moore’s position for permanent housing.
“I think Clover and I are on the same page here,” he said.
“I’m quite happy so long as the people are happy to see themselves into permanent accommodation. As for temporary accommodation, it’s something for every resident to decide if they are happy with.”
Goward said she was disappointed by the stand-off.
“Many of her demands are views that I share and we will absolutely be able to respond positively to the lord mayor,” she said.
“What I am very disappointed about is that the lord mayor’s preference for us to use the Crown Lands Act ... we would need to go to court, we would need to issue warrants after a protracted process to vulnerable homeless people. I don’t think anybody wants that.”
She said Moore was endangering residents and “trading their lives off for a political game about Sirius”.
Moore told reporters her demands were aimed at a long-term solution to affordable housing problems in Sydney.
“[I’ve asked that] immediate accommodation with a view to long-term accommodation will be offered to everyone in Martin Place. The state will fund another Common Ground, a special housing facility for homeless people with special support. We have a very successful one in Camperdown.
“I’ve also suggested that Sirius in Miller’s point, which is standing empty, could be a perfect facility for Common Ground ... she didn’t seem interested in that.”
Fuller said the NSW police would work with the government to ensure a peaceful resolution by the end of the week.
“I’ve been clear that a tent city in the middle of Martin Place is not a long-term solution,” he said. “We’re all trying to resolve it by the end of the weekend.”
He confirmed that the housing offered to the residents was only temporary. On Wednesday, residents of Martin Place told Guardian Australia they turned down the temporary housing as it was far from the city and removed them from essential services.
Fuller said the police could issue tickets for obstruction or arrest residents for breaches of the peace, but only the council had the power to confiscate property.
