Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
- Read the story: ‘Quite unsettling’: ‘tiny home’ resident speaks out
I am a Sunshine Coast property owner expressing my concern over the local council’s directive to evict inhabitants of tiny homes within privately owned land.
It is double-speak to suggest council is part of the solution when their listed efforts are only perpetuating homelessness.
An assertive outreach officer cannot provide safe and affordable housing; private land owners can.
“Respecting the right for homeless people to access public amenities” does not solve homelessness; private land owners can.
Transitional housing facilities are all well and good, but do not begin to reverse the increasing numbers of homeless people due to the disproportionate rental rises with respect to incomes. Private land owners can provide the space for those homeless people to set up their own temporary home and provide more stability and safety than a homeless shelter can ever do.
Emergency relief is merely that, not a sustainable program that gets homeless people self-sufficient enough to get off the streets.
While rules are made to engender a sense or order and avoid phenomena such as squatting and community discord, it is clear that in this instance, the council is overly dogmatic about stopping unauthorised habitation on private land that it is clearly counter-intuitive in this instance. Wouldn’t this be the classic case to argue for tiny home inhabitants on private land to be permitted on a case-by-case basis as long as they meet appropriate standards of aesthetics and noise? It is evident that Ms Smith’s tiny home on Ms Morton’s land is causing no public disturbance, and is tidier than many stand-alone residences around.
Such use of private land should rather be encouraged by council; it is not difficult to formulate standards for tiny dwellings to abide by and be a tangible (and sustainable) solution to the homelessness problem rather than a hinderance to solving the housing crisis.
Ashraf Saleh, Yaroomba
So sad that the councils would rather people be homeless than let these people live in a community. All councils are after is money and forget those who are trying to live in a home.
Who owns the land you paid big money for? Obviously not the landowner but the council. I was under the impression that we paid for the land then we own it to do as we please, not to have the council rule over you as well. After all, we have to pay their high rates and wages.
Pull your heads in councillors and help fix the homeless problem, not pick on people trying to help.
Barry Chin, Currimundi
This is totally unfair to homeless people who have found a very sensible solution to a major problem. Please council members, think again. You were voted into your positions to represent everyone in your electorate.
Don’t get so bogged down in red tape that you cannot see the wood for the trees. Having the rentable tiny homes is surely a better solution than living out of cars, tents in parks and so on. One only has to drive around this area to see just how desperate people are and how horribly many are forced to live.
Make changes to the local by-laws, it’s the least you can do before you retire each evening to your lovely, comfortable homes.
Diane Garvey
What is the council’s problem with this situation? Three tiny homes and I presume a home the landowner lives in on a block of land this size sounds like an amazing housing solution. Is there a sewage or sanitation problem? Or is council so wrapped up in its antiquated, self-serving rules that they won’t address real solutions to real problems?
It is very hard to believe council is looking after the people as they claim, if they truly were they would be working with the landowner to sort out any issues or change the rules, if that is all that the problem is.
Bronwyn Fowler
It is doubtful that a mother and her two young children voluntarily live in a tiny home. More likely she was forced into this situation due to lack of affordable accommodation, like so many others.
Council should be ashamed, and their pretence to worry about “people’s safety” is ridiculous. The only thing they care about is the power that was given to them to enforce those draconian rules and of course cash in on infrastructure charges for tents, caravans and tiny homes.
I think it is logical that you can’t have a secondary dwelling on a 400sqm block, but on a rural site with the necessary infrastructure – water, septic and electricity – it should be welcomed by our elected representatives, especially in a time where people are forced to sleep rough. It should be a priority for council and the relevant departments to encourage owners of larger properties to voluntarily allow tiny homes and/or caravans to be placed on their land. Temporary infrastructure like septic/water and electricity should be provided by council at no cost for the duration of this rental crisis.
The Queensland Government Housing Strategy will only start kicking into action in 2027. This is too little and too late. Queenslanders need help now!
Ursula Starkovsky
- Read the story: Petition launched to stop tiny home tenant evictions
Council offers cold comfort. Council’s demand to residents to leave the comfort, safety and security of their tiny homes, rented from property owners, is callous and unreasonable. Those in council should understand what it means to be on the ‘rough end of the stick’ in the current crisis in homelessness. Occupation of a tiny home is a much, much better option than being forced to leave the privacy and safety of a place to call home.
Council’s threat of eviction of tiny home tenants compounds feelings of stress, helplessness and vulnerability in the loss of personal choice and autonomy. The stability of maintaining connections within local community is important for everyone, especially for parents with children.
The level of need for secure, affordable accommodation in the region is a harsh reality that far exceeds anything that aligns with council’s level of commitment to funding. Bland statements such as “Council continues to explore a range of initiatives to improve access to services for people experiencing homelessness” are not worth anything to anyone facing the prospect of being evicted. If council cannot fix the crisis of homelessness, at least don’t make life intolerably harder for those already doing it tough.
Christine Bennett, Nambour
It is absolutely crazy that people can’t live on private land in tiny homes and so on. Council should be held accountable for the stress of the people this is affecting. Thank heavens there are people out there who are willing to share their land to help people less fortunate.
Louise Archer
- Read the article: Coast welcomes back direct flights from NZ
It’s a shame that Sunshine Coast Airport has no airbridge facilities to expedite on-time departures and speed up arrivals.
The departure lines inside the terminal also require modification as airlines often have close departure times and international flights get caught up in the shambles.
Anthony Robinson, Alexandra Headland
- Read the article: Ashley Robinson: Flying Roo loses its bounce
The blunt end of the plane promises milk and honey
Champagne privilege afforded by extortionate money
Alas your sky-high expectations of luxury were dashed
Nightmares in traveller letters pages sadly re-hashed
So ease your disappointment
As Alan Joyce no longer seeks re-appointment
Qantas’ safety record remains faultless and bright
A consolation shoddy business class might chase to set right
Joseph Ting, Carina
- Read the article: Check your tickets: another millionaire in waiting
I note your news item on lottery winners where “In 2022, more than $4.14 billion in prize money was handed out from games at The Lott” and “Last financial year, Australia’s Official Lotteries contributed more than $1.6 billion via state lottery taxes and donations to help community initiatives, such as hospitals, health research, disaster relief and education”.
What the article did not mention was how much the wider community spent for this “more than” $5.74 billion returned back into the community? This would give us a ballpark figure of how much capital The Lott was working with and an estimate of profits after taking a reasonable (say 60 per cent) to cover advertising and running costs?
Sounds like we could have private enterprise build the heavy rail link for the Olympics with a few years of earnings, akin to funding how the Sydney Opera House rose out of the foreshore. It would also save the possible embarrassment of losing the Olympic Games because of lack of progress on this essential condition for getting the bid.
Chris Milligan, Kawana Forest
Concerning research from the Leukaemia Foundation reveals the majority (80 per cent) of blood cancer patients needing to relocate for treatment would be forced to exhaust their savings to fund accommodation close to treatment.
The Leukaemia Foundation’s support is crucial for these individuals, providing free-of-charge accommodation centres and support to alleviate some of their financial burden.
With a devastating shortfall in donations, the Leukaemia Foundation has launched an urgent appeal in order to continue to provide a place to stay for these patients and their loved ones.
More than 19,000 Australians will experience the pain of a blood cancer diagnosis this year alone – and that number is set to nearly double by 2035, meaning the demand for these services will continue to grow. Without the generosity of everyday Australians, we risk being unable to continue offering this vital support.
The Leukaemia Foundation is urgently appealing to the generosity of the Australian community and inviting individuals, families and businesses to lend their support by making a tax-deductible gift. Please donate online at leukaemia.org.au/aria or call 1800 620 420.
Chris Tanti, CEO, Leukaemia Foundation
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
