Aussie councils continue to crack down on “illegal” camping – despite the cost

Councils across Australia continue to crack down on illegal camping, a decision designed to tackle tourists and backpackers sleeping in hired vans or tents. However, some advocates argue the growing policy change is catching the country’s homeless population in its wake.

Earlier this year, Noosa Council, in Queensland, introduced a $333 fine in two new spots along the waterfront for illegal camping overnight.

On the Central Coast of New South Wales, on-the-spot fines for illegal camping range from $110 to $2,200, with repeat offenders facing a maximum penalty of $110,000.

In Geelong, illegal campers at Eastern Beach can cop fines of $592.77 and at the Yorke Peninsula, in South Australia, a lack of permit could cop a fine of $312.50

On the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, the Kempsey Shire Council has endorsed a plan to enforce illegal camping despite a $700,000 cost of enforcement and an unknown profit.

In Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, fines for illegal camping can be as high as $8056 if disputed in court. Earlier this year, the council changed its local law definitions so that people experiencing homelessness and sleeping in vans would no longer be considered to be “experiencing homelessness camping.”

There is no Australian state or territory law that stops people from sleeping in their vehicles, but local councils are able to prohibit the act if it is deemed to be happening over an extended period.

In December 2024, a University of NSW and University of Queensland study found the number of people living in cars and in tents in parks had surged. 2023-24 figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found thousands of Australians were living in their vehicles.

Currently, there’s a lack of parking and camping enforcement on council land. The enforcement of these regions is not seen as a priority in these areas, and, as one ranger told the Mid North Coaster, is “usually not matters of life and death”.

The most recently announced Kempsey Council plan, which includes an audit, education program and enforcement action, includes pay-by-phone parking and is set to cost around $780,000.

Homelessness Australia CEO Kate Colvin said criminalising people in really tough circumstances is the perfect example of what not to do, adding nationally we are experiencing the highest rates of homelessness ever.

She said there are simply no homes these people can go to:

“It may be uncomfortable to see our fellow community members sleeping in parks and on the street, but this is the inevitable consequence of not having enough social housing.”