‘Promising steps but we can’t afford delays’: Nambour safety advocate
Nambour local and homelessness petitioner Helen Tagg, 32, says momentum must not be lost following yesterday’s visit to Nambour by the Queensland Housing Minister and the Mayor, who toured with Nicklin MP Marty Hunt and Councillor David Law to see the crisis first-hand.
Mrs Tagg, whose petition calling for action on unmanaged camping and public safety has attracted over 1400 signatures, has now been invited to take part in an urgent forum with Sunshine Coast Council, Nicklin MP Marty Hunt, Councillor David Law, other key stakeholders and Housing Minister Sam O’Connor. She will follow that forum with a community meeting for petition signers, residents and stakeholders to give feedback on her 19-page draft proposal.
“This is a community-based issue and the community should have their say in how it’s moving forward,” she said. “It is best practice because lasting solutions are built when the people who understand the problem first-hand, the community itself, help shape the path forward.
“Right now, I’m choosing to believe in our leaders and back them, because they’re the people with the power to quickly solve our problem. What they need is an action plan, and I have one with actionable steps to make Nambour safe. I’ve had promising discussions this week with both our MP Marty Hunt and our councillor David Law, and I hope they will continue to back action instead of talk. If things slow down, I’ll be here to keep them moving forward. We can’t wait two years to solve this. We’re in a crisis, and we need to work fast. Today’s been a promising step towards solutions,” she said yesterday (August 12).
The Housing Minister said he recognised the urgency. “We’re going to have an urgent forum on this, bringing everyone together, but today was really about getting that understanding on the ground here… and finding out those solutions that are really going to make a difference,” Mr O’Connor said.
Mr Hunt said the crisis had reached “a point” where direct involvement from the State was needed, while Mayor Rosanna Natoli said cooperation was key. “We know that we really need action to fix it… so that we can actually try to get some traction on this,” she said.
Ms Tagg’s draft proposal includes enforceable camping restrictions near sensitive areas, managed accommodation with hygiene facilities, environmental rehabilitation, and stronger coordination between agencies and stakeholders. She said many rough sleepers don’t accept accommodation offers, a figure that reflects both distrust of services and the impacts of substance abuse, highlighting the need for clearer boundaries and specific pathways out for people experiencing mental illness or using free camping as a mechanism to support their addiction.
“I’m willing to put in the work, but we need to use our time wisely. Every hour I spend on this is time away from my kids, so it has to count. When I started the petition, my aim was simply to get someone to listen. It was an intervention, a way of saying, ‘Can we all agree this is wrong and start moving towards fixing it?’ Back then, the problem wasn’t being addressed adequately, but the community understood it well. Now, with Marty Hunt’s advocacy, David Law’s support, and others stepping up, politicians are saying, ‘We hear you. We need action now,’ which is encouraging. It’s becoming clearer that my role is in bridging the gaps between the community, stakeholders, and decision-makers. My hope now is that we all press forward towards the goal. We’ve been speaking for years without seeing action. Today felt different, clearer, and promising.”
Her ultimate goal remains for Nambour’s pilot to become a model for other towns. “The politicians and key stakeholders say they want real action, but that requires a practical plan. I’ve put one forward that we could use as a starting point, something we can build on immediately to deliver real change without large delays,” she said. “If everyone works together, everyone wins.”
WHAT THEY SAID (August 12):
• Housing Minister Sam O’Connor:
The Housing Minister said he recognised the urgency of the situation. “We’re going to have an urgent forum on this, bringing everyone together, but today was really about getting that understanding on the ground here … and finding out those solutions that are really going to make a difference.”
• Member for Nicklin Marty Hunt:
“Community Safety is my top priority. I spoke to the Minister for Housing Sam O’Connor about the urgent need for action in Nambour and he responded by visiting our community to see for himself the extent of the issues locally. The community have a right to feel safe and I have met with local police who have responded with increased patrols, including wanding activities now Jack’s Law is permanent. I’ve secured around $3 million for a new Nambour CBD Police Beat which is expected to open toward the end of the year, plus CCTV upgrades. Outreach has increased by the State’s HOME team – these specialist teams visit Nambour twice a week to connect people with housing – including emergency housing, health care and support. Councils manage their own parks and public spaces, including how they respond to people sleeping rough in those areas.”
• Mayor Rosanna Natoli:
“We know this has been a really big issue. We've been down here with the Minister. Because what we want you to know is that we do know something needs to happen (and) that for the Nambour community, it is a crisis point. So just know that we really are working to make sure that we get a solution.”
• Div 10 Cr David Law:
“It’s the number one topic I'm hearing about at the moment, is the dramatic increase in homelessness and the whole range of things that are associated with that. And I'm just very pleased that we have taken a significant step with the mayor being able to get the Housing Minister here and spend the whole morning down here in Nambour to actually see first-hand what is happening in the heart of our community. We now need to work to get a difference and make some different solutions.”
• Advocate for Nambour homeless people, Abigail:
Advocate for homeless people in Nambour Abigail was also able to meet the minister and share some of her thoughts about what was required. “Look, the population of the homeless has doubled in the last few months and that is just too much on our services, on our environment, on everything. So to have the minister come and see it for himself and to be able to guarantee me that there's going to be action on this, I'm very thankful to both the Council and the minister's office for coming today.”
Cr Law, Mayor Natoli and Abigail at Quota Park yesterday (August 12).
Helen Tagg, whose petition attracted more than 1400 signatures, is maintaining pressure on authorities to follow through.