4 September 2025

City homeless camp cleared ahead of weekend festival

| By Ian Bushnell
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The homeless camp in Petrie Plaza

No more: The homeless camp in Petrie Plaza. Photos: Ian Bushnell.

The ramshackle camp in Petrie Plaza has been cleared and its occupants moved on, apparently in time for this weekend’s Moon Festival in the city.

While the ACT Government had taken a light touch to the unsightly makeshift shelters put together by a core group of four homeless people, including a couple, it decided to act on 26 August, sending in Licensing and Compliance officers.

It came four days after Minister for Homes and New Suburbs Yvette Berry told Region that clearing the camp would just be moving the problem somewhere else.

“We want to make sure we have a sustainable solution to this and that’s just going to take a little bit more time,” Ms Berry said.

A government spokesperson said officers removed dangerous or hazardous objects such as needles, sharps, litter and rubbish, and issued a Removals Direction ordering the occupants to remove their property from the public land within seven days.

On Wednesday, 3 September, officers returned to the site and collected and impounded the remaining property.

The only items remaining on Thursday morning were shopping trolleys left by the carousel.

Petrie Plaza

The Canberra Moon Festival will take place in Petrie Plaza and City Walk from 5-7 September.

The spokesperson said the government acknowledged the removal of unauthorised property from Petrie Plaza was a deeply sensitive and challenging situation for everyone involved.

“While this decision is part of our regulatory responsibilities, we recognise homelessness is a complex issue that cannot be addressed through enforcement alone,” the spokesperson said.

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The government did not say specifically what had happened to the former occupants or whether they had been given a roof over their heads.

But Vinnies said its Street to Home program, which has provided support for those sleeping rough in Petrie Plaza over the past few weeks, had been able to find appropriate accommodation for some of them.

It is understood Housing ACT was also involved.

Petrie Plaza trolleys

A few shopping trolleys are all that’s left of the camp.

St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn CEO Lucy Hohnen said the team had been able to find secure housing for some of the former occupants and would continue to work with the others to provide solutions.

“Homelessness is deeply complex,” she said. “It’s not just about housing. Every person sleeping rough has a story shaped by systemic gaps and personal hardship.

“We walk alongside those who need us, advocating for sustainable solutions and ensuring dignity for every person we support.”

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The government said it would also continue to work with people sleeping rough to make sure they had the necessary support, including from Street to Home and other homelessness services.

“Our priority is to ensure every person affected is treated with dignity and compassion,” the spokesperson said.

“We are working closely with homelessness services and outreach teams to connect individuals with the support they need – whether that’s safe accommodation, health care or other essential services.

“Each day, our teams are actively engaging with people in the area to understand their circumstances and offer tailored assistance.”

Local businesses and the broader community were also being supported.

“We thank Canberrans for their patience and understanding, and we reaffirm our commitment to doing everything we can to support those experiencing homelessness,” the spokesperson said.

The Canberra Moon Festival will take place in Petrie Plaza and City Walk from 5 to 7 September.

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Dan Nicholas11:23 am 05 Sep 25

So we have money for solar rebates and to let people in EV’s use the roads for free yet keeping jobseeker up with inflation and making sure people have a roof over their head are not priorities?

Shows you the real value of human life to our current leaders.

We’ll see what happens when the unemployment rate starts ballooning from AI displacement.

It’s nice to see an event like the Moon Festival happening in Canberra and I can see the Homeless Camps may be an interference. But it does feel shallow that they’ve been moved on for the sake of the festival. I’d like to think that they’ve been given homes but even that isn’t as simple.

Being homeless is one thing, but why are these encampments always full of rubbish? I don’t understand why the “residents” and the local authrorities allow the area to become an absolute tip. If these people are put in to housing, is this how the houses end up too?

I am curious, have you ever chipped in to help?

Before being so judgmental, try walking in the shoes of those who do, or better still, try understanding what it’s like to be homeless. Stop passing judgment without any grasp of the effort, dedication, and struggle involved.

Thank you, Vinnies, for Street to Home, Night Patrol, Blue Door, Roadhouse, Pets in the Park, and all the other organisations that hold a place in their hearts for humanity and strive to make this world a better place. Without the dedication of the teams who work there, and the tireless efforts of the volunteers, so many wonderful companions would be left alone and without support.

Shame to Canberra and Australia that such essential services must rely so heavily on charity and goodwill, rather than being guaranteed by the community and the systems that should ensure no one is left behind.

For my part, I will not be attending the festival.

How much of this is from people coming from outside Canberra? Shouldn’t this be a national issue coordinated and funded on a national level rather than ACT funded services struggle to service a regional or national issue?

This lifestyle choice didn’t exit when I was growing up.

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