Just a few blocks from Western Australia’s parliament, dozens of vulnerable people have been turfed out of a city hotel and on to the streets after the state government refused to pay for their accommodation. Like the last time they were moved on, they have nowhere to go.
These are some of the people at the centre of Perth’s homelessness crisis, one of the few election issues on which WA’s “most popular premier in history”, Mark McGowan, does not control the narrative.
The homelessness issue was thrust into the public’s consciousness on Boxing Day, when up to 100 people set up camp in Fremantle’s Pioneer Park, starting a chain of events that would end with the hotel eviction in mid-February.
Dubbed “tent city”, the camp was established by food charities, just yards from Fremantle’s busy station and bustling cappuccino strip. Its conspicuous location made it a beacon for rough sleepers and activist groups keen to shine a spotlight on the issue.
It…