Minister Rose Jackson was questioned on the Wagga housing crisis at a parliamentary hearing this week. Photo: Supplied.
NSW Housing Minister Rose Jackson has defended putting homeless Wagga residents in motel rooms, admitting the government has nowhere else to house them.
The admission came during a parliamentary hearing this week after Albury-based Greens MP Amanda Cohn confronted the minister over the NSW Labor Government’s use of motels – a strategy it previously condemned when used by the former Coalition government.
Dr Cohn quoted a NSW Government statement which criticised the Coalition for relying “heavily on expensive motels and hotels as temporary crisis accommodation”, describing the approach as “costly, unreliable” and lacking the “necessary wraparound supports” to help people get back on their feet.
“Why are people in Wagga still being put in motels?” Dr Cohn asked.
Minister Jackson gave a blunt answer.
“Because there’s nowhere else in Wagga for them to stay at the moment.
“That’s not OK with me, but I don’t want people living in encampments. That’s not safe for them or the broader community,” she said.
“We are really open for proposals for delivering more supported temporary accommodation or crisis accommodation in Wagga.
“The only reason people would be sleeping in motels is there’s literally no alternative.”
But Wagga housing advocates say the government’s claim that there is no alternative ignores proposals already put forward by the local community.
Advocate Leigh Swansborough said Homes NSW had been offered suggestions for dealing with the homelessness crisis but had failed to properly engage with local advocates.
“The minister would have been better off coming to Wagga and being honest – telling us there is no housing but we are open to all suggestions from the community to figure this out. That would have been leadership,” Ms Swansborough said.
She accused the minister of arriving in Wagga with promises the government could not deliver.
Ms Swansborough likened the visit to an “Oprah Winfrey Christmas special, promising everyone houses”.
The controversy comes as Wagga Council pushes ahead with efforts to clear homeless people from Wilks Park and other riverside camps. Council rangers have issued notices threatening people with $1000 fines if they fail to leave, despite advocates warning there is nowhere suitable for many of them to go.
Councillor Richard Foley spoke to people living at Wilks Park to find out more about the issue. Photo: Richard Foley/Facebook.
Minister says she did not speak to homeless residents
The minister also faced questions over her decision not to speak directly with people living at Wilks Park during her recent visit to Wagga.
“Did you meet with any of the people experiencing homelessness at Wilks Park?” Dr Cohn asked.
Minister Jackson said she had visited the park but did not engage with residents.
“We went to Wilks Park and we wandered around. We didn’t engage with people there; they didn’t want to talk to us; they were a bit wary,” she said.
The minister said there had been significant media attention and visits from politicians and other people to the park, which had “pissed off” some residents.
“We didn’t want to bother people who quite clearly were not interested in that time with engaging with us,” she said.
Housing advocates have criticised the decision, arguing the government cannot properly understand the problem without speaking to the people experiencing it.
Motels criticised as ‘no alternative’
Several Wilks Park residents have already been moved into motel accommodation – but advocates say the system is failing some of the people it is supposed to help.
One homeless person was reportedly rejected by a motel after being referred for accommodation, while another person who tried to call for a room late at night was told there was no availability.
Meanwhile, advocates including Vickie Burkinshaw, Chris Roche, Tim Verhoef, Leigh Swansborough and former ABC journalist Moyra Shields have called for the NSW Government and Wagga City Council to establish a serviced temporary camp at Wiradjuri Reserve.
Their proposal would include toilets, showers, heating, security and access to support services, providing people living rough with a safer alternative to sleeping in the park while they wait for permanent housing.
Cr Richard Foley has also backed the proposal, arguing people need somewhere safe and secure to move to rather than simply being forced out of their existing camps.
