Tent city bust-up exposes council homeless fiasco

COMMENT: ELECTED members will meet Wednesday after a horror week over the Fremantle ‘tent city’ debacle in which their attempts to politicise the homeless issue in WA backfired badly.
As police moved in to clear Pioneer Park today, the McGowan Government said: “In light of the City of Fremantle’s failure to withdraw their consent to the occupancy of Pioneer Park in a reasonable timeframe, the State Government has taken the necessary action to protect the community.”
Premier Mark McGowan, who described organisers as “anarchists” and “professional protestors”, went further. Speaking in Collie Friday, he accused “some councillors” of being uncooperative and trying to score political points. Some councillors are using this for political purposes.”
Stepping down as Mayor next Friday to campaign in the State election in March, unabashed Dr Pettitt welcomed without a hint of irony, “the successful wrapping up of the camp at Pioneer Park”.
“We had an agreement with the agencies to close the park today and we appreciate the strong and collaborative approach taken by all parties to address this complex issue,” he said. “The City has never approved or consented to this camp being established.”
This is contradicted by Mr McGowan who today reiterated that by providing the camp with water and power, council had given organisers tacit approval to be there beyond Boxing Day.
The issue is expected to be raised in council on Wednesday for the first time since Pioneer Park was occupied by a group called Freo Street Kitchen. As StreetWise asked this week, if City staff did not approve the camp, as Dr Pettitt claims, then who among the elected members did?

Questions

Council will consider on Wednesday questions on notice regarding tent city (copies of which have been sent to all State ministers) and published at https://www.streetwisemedia.com.au/fremantle-council-goes-too-far-wa-premier.
They include whom Mr Noakes contacted at the City, including elected members, when he decided to establish the camp? Under what authority did the City and/or elected members agree to allow Mr Noakes to move in? How do Dr Pettit and Cr Pemberton account for the claim by WA Police that they contacted the local Fremantle sergeant and told her not to intervene?
A source at the City says officers did not grant approval for tent city to set up on Boxing Day because no formal application for approval was ever submitted by Mr Noakes. The source said staff may have decided to let organisers go ahead given it was supposed to move on after only 24 hours. This confirms Dr Pettitt’s claim in his January 5 blog, “organisers asked the City to allow a 24-hour food service on Boxing Day”. (On January 14, Freo Street Kitchen stated council had, “granted us access to the space, water and power”).
South Ward Councillor Andrew Sullivan would not comment because he has declared a proximity interest with tent city organiser Jesse Noakes, who is understood to lease office space with Cr Sullivan.
Proximity interests also hang over Cr Pemberton, who reportedly was contacted by Mr Noakes about setting up the camp, and City Ward Councillor Adin Lang, who was involved with Mr Noakes in the failed homeless experiment at the Hougoumont Hotel last year.
As reported this week by StreetWise, the City has failed to answer who was making decisions if Council members were yet to meet about the future of the homeless camp?
Someone with authority gave permission for the significant amount of resources, including the exclusive use of a publicly owned community asset, to be spent over the past four weeks.
In fact, the CEO report to the finance committee this week included future costs and expenses the City intended to spend on the camp.
Importantly, who will take responsibility for the serious assaults, injuries, robberies and property damage caused after authority was given to extend the camp by providing it with ratepayer resources, including the use of Pioneer Park?
One of two men charged with allegedly sexually assaulting one of two teenage girls in Fleet Street on New Years Eve will appear in Fremantle court on January 29.