<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/jul/31/homeless-central-station-sydney-belongings-removed>
"Kylie Emery returned from a shower on Thursday morning to find her shopping
trolley full of belongings was gone. It contained everything she has to her
name: a sleeping bag, warm clothes, her credit card.
Emery is among about two dozen people who have been sleeping rough at Sydney’s
Central station, some for several years, in a sheltered spot near the light
rail stop. The majority are women, who find the site safe because of its CCTV
cameras and public location.
On Thursday, at about 5am, the homeless sleepers were woken by police and told
to move on for two hours, as happens most mornings. They have been told by
police this is to avoid disruption for passengers during peak hour.
When they returned, they found all their items had been covered in caution tape
– and, for the first time, posters had been erected.
“Please remove all your belongings by 12pm today 31/07/2025,” the laminated
signs, which were not attributed, read, “or your items will be disposed
afterwards.”
Emery’s trolley was eventually returned by a cleaner, who had taken it
downstairs, but she said her items had been moved and sorted through. Another
man who also had his items taken, including his sleeping bag, was told by a
cleaner that they had been thrown away.
While Emery’s belongings had been returned she had nowhere else to go and it
was pouring with rain.
Many of the women who lived there, including her, had been through complex
trauma and struggle with PTSD, she said. “It’s unsafe for everyone [on the
streets], but it’s extremely unsafe for us.”
Emery said she had been on a priority list for housing for seven months, after
experiencing a home invasion in Port Macquarie last year.
“There’s no way I could go back there, it’s not safe,” she said. “I ring up
[housing services] and they’re like, ‘Sorry, we can’t help you.’
“It’s horrible seeing ladies out here on the street. There are mothers and
grandmothers here … we haven’t done anything wrong.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
