Tent city returns to pitch at Martin Place
The Daily Telegraph
January 2, 2018
JUST when you thought you could go back to Martin Place — the homeless bandwagon is back.
Less than six months after Lord Mayor Clover Moore declared the streets had been cleaned up the organisers of Sydney’s Tent City have returned to the centre of the city.
Lanz Priestley, 59, the self-declared “Mayor” of Martin Place said he had set up an around-the-clock soup kitchen for the homeless through Christmas and New Year. “Bloody Clover is having a party costing thousands at Dawes Point, the government spends all this money on fireworks yet they unsee homelessness and food poverty in their own constituency,” he said.
Ms Moore had an exclusive, invitation-only party at Dawes Point for 2000 guests to watch the fireworks at a cost to Sydney ratepayers of $620,000.
A soup kitchen has been set up for the homeless through Christmas and New Year.
“I truly hope Clover has a wonderful New Year’s Eve party but the homeless still exist in the CBD. Don’t worry Clover, we’ve got this covered,” Mr Priestly said.
However, he has not managed to keep everything in his own life covered. After the tent city was abandoned in August Mr Priestly was given an Apprehended Violence Order after a dispute with his 20-year-old girlfriend over the children’s card game UNO.
Ms Moore negotiated last year for the homeless to move on from Martin Place and be housed in temporary 24-hour safe spaces at a cost to the council of $100,000 but within days of their August exit many of those were back on the streets.
Mr Priestley said the new camp was only temporary. “We set up here for 24 hours a day over this period as those are the peak periods for family breakdowns … we will pull it down tonight,” he said.
A City of Sydney spokeswoman said the council was spending $27 million on affordable housing measures.
“The City of Sydney continues to work with state government agencies to manage public access in Martin Place, while supporting the needs of people sleeping rough in the city,” she said. “The City of Sydney supports the NSW government’s protocol for People in Public Places, which promotes the rights of people who are experiencing homelessness to access public spaces without the risk of discrimination. fireworks yet