Council confirms legality of begging
City of Sydney councillors across the political spectrum have reaffirmed the legality of begging and support the practice, in spite of moves to remove it in Melbourne and the United States.
There has been a crackdown on beggars in the City of Melbourne Council, with begging illegal under the Summary Offences Act. Victorian police processed 240 alleged beggars in 2011-2012.
Cities in the US have also taken tougher stances on homeless people. Philadelphia recently banned outdoor feeding in public, and Denver banned eating and sleeping on property without permission.
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said begging remained legal in the City of Sydney.
“Begging is illegal in Victoria, but not in NSW. If people begging in the city are not breaking the law, behaving in an anti-social manner or blocking a pedestrian thoroughfare – they cannot be harassed or discriminated against,” she said.
The City of Sydney currently invests in the homeless through the Homeless Persons Information Centre and in specialised homelessness workers. There are also events like the Homeless Connect at Town Hall, which provides services to the homeless.
Liberal Councillor Edward Mandla expressed his concern for “genuine” beggars. “There are beggars that are genuine and a poorly thought-out ban would hurt them,” said Mr Mandla.
Mr Mandla said he was disgruntled with beggars who weren’t genuine. “Most of the beggars in Sydney are ‘taking the piss’. They’ve got welfare payments and access to food and accommodation,” he said.
Greens Councillor Irene Dountey adopted a different interpretation, suggesting people would not beg unless they were truly desperate.
“I’m sure there are some beggars who are actually on the con or are unpleasant, but from my experience most of the beggars in Sydney are desperate people who deserve our compassion and help,” she said.
“I do not believe that Council would follow the lead of Melbourne. I would certainly oppose such measures but I do not believe our Council is so heartless.”
Ms Doutney said begging was an area where greater policy development needed to occur, especially in a wealthy country like Australia.
Mr Mandla also canvassed the need for further policy discussions.
“The attitude of the city is to ‘service homelessness’ … feed them, find them a bed and turn a blind eye to begging as long as the footpath is reasonably clear,” he said.
“[But] the solution is to find the real issue behind the individual beggar. Find them a permanent home in the community and help them tackle alcoholism, gambling and other issues.”
