Moreton Bay mayor says pet ban is a response to complaints against homeless people over dog attacks but advocates say the timing is heartless
Homeless man Stephen Bartholomew says his support dog has saved his life, so he was shocked when his local council in Queensland banned those experiencing homelessness from keeping pets.
The single father, his 11-year-old son and his support staffy, Tyson, were forced to leave their home in the Moreton Bay area, north of Brisbane, in September when the new owners hiked the rent by $100 a week.
Having a dog made it even more difficult for Bartholomew to find a rental that his pension could cover, but he says Tyson’s company was essential due to his mental ill health.
“I remember one particular time when I literally wanted to end my life, and he just came and curled up with me,” Bartholomew says.
“With these people that are having to get rid of their pets that are sleeping in tents, what’s going to happen when they don’t have their companion there?”
Bartholomew says the local city council has historically supported the homeless community, which the council says has nearly doubled in the last decade to include 4,500 people on Queensland’s social housing register and 200 people staying in council-controlled public spaces.
But in mid-December, Moreton Bay’s mayor banned homeless people in public places from keeping animals with them or sleeping in vehicles, with the support of every councillor.
The mayor, Peter Flannery, said residents had made thousands of complaints against homeless people, including for aggressive behaviour, crowding public areas and dog attacks. The council estimates 30 dogs are being kept in public.
“A number of our public spaces have become unsafe or inaccessible,” he told the council meeting. “This is unacceptable and I will not stand for it any longer.”
Police officers and council rangers have been active since, ordering rough sleepers to get rid of their pets or leave the area, under threat of heavy fines – sometimes up to thousands of dollars – , Bartholomew says.
Beau Haywood, founder of local charity Nourish Street Inc, says a quarter of the 130 people he normally provides food to each night have disappeared, leaving him concerned for their safety.
“It’s really shaken up the homeless community,” he says. “I’ve got no idea where they’ve gone … [When] you disperse these people, I’m not able to engage with them for food.”
Those still keeping animals in the area are feeling anxious and depressed after being issued infringement notices, Haywood says, with some already told to leave by as soon as Christmas Eve.
“If they’ve got a pet, they’re like, ‘Well, where are we going to go? I’ve got nowhere to go,’” he says.
“It just seems really heartless, especially [during] Christmas time.”
Bartholomew has garnered more than 14,000 signatures for his online petition to amend the regulations. The petition proposes allowing people to live in their vans if they register with government agencies along with pets if their owners keep them leashed and clean up after them.
“There’s a minority of homeless people that are causing trouble … letting their dogs run wild [and] not looking after their campsites, we accept that,” he says.
“We’re just asking for these two fair and reasonable amendments.”
Map of Queensland featuring Moreton Bay, Brisbane, Rockhampton and Townsville
Bartholomew says the council has refused to meet with him or others calling for change, though multiple councillors have met state and federal government representatives to discuss crisis housing solutions in recent weeks, a council spokesperson has said.
Bartholomew says he contacted local MPs for support, including the opposition leader, Steven Miles, but the only one who responded was the federal MP Luke Howarth, who threw his weight behind the council and said the changes would benefit all residents including homeless people.
“The council was elected to lead and they are doing so,” he wrote in a reply email.
Howarth, who is also Peter Dutton’s shadow assistant treasurer, stood by his comments when contacted by Guardian Australia, blaming Anthony Albanese’s federal government for rising rates of homelessness.
The number of Queenslanders on the state’s social housing waiting list has risen to almost 50,000, with an average wait time of two and a half years.
When announcing the changes, Moreton Bay’s mayor said the new rules brought his council’s approach into line with its neighbours including Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast.
Brisbane, the second-most expensive city to own a home in the country, has in recent months forced people experiencing homelessness to leave public spaces, seizing their tents and limiting their access to energy and barbecues.
But Haywood warns Moreton Bay’s rules are pushing local homeless people to flee south to Brisbane, away from their regular support services.
“You’re going to have Brisbane city council probably clamping down on people camping and setting up in those areas as well,” he says.
“Right in time for Christmas, because no one wants to be sitting there eating their prawns at their pristine location, and have to look across at someone doing it tough. Well, the council certainly wouldn’t anyway.”
In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org
