EUROPEAN STYLE REFUGEE PROBLEMS IN SYDNEY
EUROPEAN STYLE REFUGEE PROBLEMS IN SYDNEY
Pendle Hill refugees relocate from Civic Park to carpark behind IGA supermarket
The ramifications of refugees – some seeking shelter in carparks and children’s play equipment – on a Sydney community has sparked calls for federal intervention and rehabilitation for asylum seekers.
A group of homeless asylum seekers has relocated from Pendle Hill’s main park to a nearby carpark after escalating safety problems, sparking calls for the federal government to intervene as the contingent shifts and refuses assistance.
In April, Cumberland Council issued a trespass notice to about a dozen Sri Lankan refugees based in Civic Park before police evicted them amid growing complaints about child protection, drug and alcohol consumption, harassing young women and hygiene problems.
While the community has started to reclaim its park, which reopened in 2024 after a $17.5m upgrade, the homeless issue remains unsolved as many have decamped to nearby Purdie Lane carpark behind the IGA supermarket.
Many are ineligible to access mainstream homelessness services such as Link2Home because of their visa status.
Councillors Michael Zaiter and Sujan Selven’s motion tabled at last week’s council meeting called for staff to urgently team up with specialist asylum seeker support organisations that could provide accommodation to refugees on bridging or temporary visas.
“I would hope that ... if help is actually provided to them they will actually accept it,’’ he said.
“The local residents in our area have been having issues for a very, very long time.
“Yes, these individuals have got their own problems but those problems have also impacted on surrounding residents who live in our area.’’
Cr Sujan Selven said he was building trust with the group and encouraging them to detox. Cr Glenn Elmore said many refugees would be jailed if they returned to Sri Lanka.
Girraween resident Thiru Arumugam, who walks through the park daily, said some homeless men had started to return to the park since the council and police evicted them.
“It’s a temporary remedy for the local community but I don’t see they are fixing the problem – we are moving the problem from one place to another place,’’ he said.
“I got a call from one of the residents two days ago to say those homeless people are coming back to Civic Park.
There are more than 2210 homeless people in Cumberland, the fifth highest rate in NSW.
It’s the top two councils in NSW for asylum seekers and more than 20,000 refugees have settled in Cumberland over the past 25 years.
“I’m very concerned about homelessness and safety in Pendle Hill,’’ Parramatta federal Labor MP Andrew Charlton said.
“That’s why the Federal Government has invested $3.5m in CCTV cameras across the electorate, due for completion by December 2026.’’
He said 625 social and affordable homes were being built throughout the electorate.
“I look forward to continuing to engage with Cumberland Council and local organisations to ensure those who cannot access these services get the support they need,’’ he said.
The only councillor who rejected the motion was Steve Christou, who argued the organisation should focus on Australians whom are homeless, not those whose visas were rejected.
Source: Telegram "australiafirstparty"