For many years it has been known that Logan City has homeless people and families who are doing it tough. With COVID helping joblessness and the housing market being in a crisis, Logan City Council has decided that now is the time to amend laws making living on the streets even harder.
No one wants to live in their car, and no one really likes sleeping on concrete beside a building or setting up some make do tent in a park. Unfortunately, this is the life for many people who are doing all they can just to get by.
Under proposed new amendments to Local Laws No.1, 5, 11 and 12, sleeping, cooking or performing ablutions, or attempting to do any of those things, in, under, on or next to a stationary vehicle, tent, temporary structure, hut, swag, sleeping bag, lean to or other thing capable of being used for sleeping will be prohibited on Council owned or controlled land or on a local government road.
The Logan City Council amendment has made all of those listed above come under the word ‘camping’, including anything capable of being used for sleeping; and therefor sleeping in your car on the side of the road or anywhere owned by Logan City Council is not an option.
When councillors were asked for comment on the new amendments, all that were asked declined to comment on the matter.
While the amendments are yet to be voted on by the council, the Illegal Camping Local Law 12 (Council Property and Other Public Places) is available on the councils ‘Have Your Say’ page.