David Gardiner

Journalist

Douglas Shire Council has rejected any suggestion that it might have forced rough sleepers away from sheltering under the Foxton Bridge at Mossman, by placing large rocks there.

After Newsport recently published an article about rough sleepers in a Mossman main street, there have been claims that Council purposely placed the rocks in a sheltered area under the bridge, where homeless people used to sleep at night and seek cover from the wet weather.

Members of the community say they were told that before the rocks were put there, Police occasionally would visit the spot on the Mossman River at Foxton Avenue Reserve, to check on the welfare of the rough sleepers.

They also have told Newsport they are certain the rocks were placed sometime over the past 12 months.

But when we sent queries to Council on the matter, their response – unusually from a ‘spokesperson’ this time rather than the Mayor – was that there was no link between the rocks being placed in the reserve and any recent appearance of rough sleepers on Front Street in Mossman.

In stark contrast to what Newsport has been told, Council said that the rocks were placed under the bridge "four years ago" because of “ongoing anti-social behaviour in the park,” the spokesperson is quoted as saying.

“Each year before the wet season, Council would remove truckloads of rubbish that included cans, bottles, plastics, mattresses and couches to prevent the rubbish and furniture washing into the river and onto the Great Barrier Reef during flood events,” the spokesperson added.

“These regular clean-ups, involving machinery and trucks, were costing ratepayers thousands of dollars annually. It is Council’s understanding that the majority of people involved were not homeless but were visitors using the space to socialise.”

When we sent Council queries for this article, we also quoted the Mayor, Michael Kerr’s previous response about rough sleepers in Front Street:

"While Council has limited authority in this area, we are committed to treating itinerant people with respect and keeping the lines of communication open before any action is taken."

We asked, “Has Council stuck by this policy during dealings with the rough sleepers under the Foxton Bridge?”

To which the spokesperson’s reply was: “Yes.”