A government-imposed deadline for homeless people to vacate a campsite near Wagga Wagga's CBD has passed, with a number of rough sleepers refusing to leave Wilks Park and insisting they have no viable alternative accommodation to move to. The compliance orders, issued by Wagga Wagga City Council rangers less than a fortnight ago, were part of a broader NSW government emergency response to a worsening homelessness crisis in the regional city.
A Deadline Met With Defiance at Wilks Park
Rangers issued formal compliance action requests at Wilks Park after the NSW government launched an emergency response following the death of an infant at a camp on the Wagga riverbank — a tragedy that galvanised the community and intensified pressure on authorities to act. A separate order has also been issued for people camping along nearby Wagga Beach, with those residents directed to leave by July 21.
Despite the deadline arriving, there was a visible police presence near the site but no one appeared to have been forcibly removed. Among those who remained was a woman identifying herself only as JJ, who said she had begun packing after receiving the notice but had been unable to find anywhere to go.
"We plan to get out of here but it's too soon and too quick to get out. It's too much pressure," she said. "The community have nowhere to go, they have no job, they have no income. It's been very hard."
JJ, who has lived at Wilks Park for just over a year, said she had been in contact with Homes NSW for two years without any outcome. "So far, it's nothing at all," she said.
Government Insists Accommodation Has Been Offered
NSW Housing and Homelessness Minister Rose Jackson maintained that every person camped at Wilks Park and Wagga Beach had been offered some form of accommodation and support.
"Not everyone accepts our offers of support, but Homes NSW staff will keep trying," she said. "Our immediate priority is making sure everyone has access to safe accommodation and the support they need."
During a visit to Wagga Wagga in May, the minister had warned that those who continued to refuse support after the deadline would need to "go with police." However, that outcome did not appear to have eventuated on the day the deadline lapsed.
Advocates Raise Concerns Over Quality of Housing Offered
Community advocates have pushed back against the government's characterisation of the situation, arguing that the accommodation being offered does not meet the needs of many of those affected. Vickie Burkinshaw from the Wagga Women's Health Centre said some people had already agreed to leave, only to be evicted from the temporary accommodation they were placed in.
"They're ticking a box saying we have offered people housing, and their definition of housing is not our definition of housing," she said. "They need to be offering people a home, and a home should be something safe, suitable and sustainable."
Ms Burkinshaw also noted that many campers were still unclear about where they would be expected to go — an uncertainty she said was at the core of the community's anxiety. She raised particular concern that people were being asked to give up belongings and pets in order to access the accommodation on offer, making it an unacceptable option for many.
"If you have to forego most of your belongings, your pets, and the things that make you feel you are at home, that is certainly not something people will willingly go into," she said.
Decades on Waiting Lists, Still No Home
The depth of the crisis is illustrated by the situation facing Jonathan Jeanes, who has been living at Wilks Park and told of being on public housing waiting lists in both NSW and Queensland for the better part of his adult life.
"I've been on the list from Townsville since I was 18. I'm now 40," he said. Despite packing up his belongings in response to the order, Mr Jeanes said he had nowhere to go — a reality shared by many others still sheltering at the site as authorities consider their next steps.
