The City's response to PerthNow about unauthorised camping
Question: Have you noticed an issue with illegal camping at any locations within the City? If so, can you list where they are?
Answer: Since 2020 the City experienced a notable decline in activity, with borders closed due to COVID-19. As more tourists enter Western Australia, there has been an uptake in the reports of unauthorised camping.
Typical areas are coastal carparks during summer.
Question: Have any fines been issued towards people illegally camping? If so, can you give a figure of how many have been issued over the past 12 months and how much the fine is.
Answer: The City issued three infringements for unauthorised camping between 1.3.2022 and 7.3.2023 at two locations in Hamilton Hill and one in Coogee. The fines are $80 each.
Infringement numbers are not an accurate reflection of the issue, as some unauthorised camping may be due to people experiencing a life crisis, such as homelessness or domestic violence. In these cases the City works with the affected person to provide contact details for support agencies rather than issuing an infringement.
Question: What do you think makes these spots so enticing for people to illegally camp there?
Answer: Generally where there is power, bathroom and shower facilities available, or areas of relative privacy and quiet.
Question: What is the City doing to deter campers from wanting to stay in these spots?
Answer: The City’s CoSafe Community Safety and Ranger’s team actively patrols known unauthorised camping hotspots throughout the City.
The City locks carparks and toilet facilities to deter out of hours use, reducing the desirability of our coastal areas for campers.
Question: Are the people camping in these spots backpackers/tourists or people who might be homeless?
Answer: Refer to the response to question 2.