HOMELESSNESS — BATAVIA MOTOR INNE, GERALDTON
1277. Hon STEVE MARTIN to the Leader of the House
representing the Minister for Homelessness:
I refer to the Batavia Motor Inne in
Geraldton, which has been a home for rough sleepers and the site of unsafe
behaviours for some time.
(1) What actions
has the Office of Homelessness taken to address the behaviour occurring at the
Batavia inn, and which local stakeholders
have been consulted on the coordination and implementation of these actions?
(2) Is the
minister aware of staff from the Office of Homelessness or the Department of
Communities offering those staying at the Batavia inn $100 cash to complete a survey?
(3) If yes to (3),
will the minister please table how many people in total were paid to complete
the survey?
Hon SUE
ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The Batavia
Motor Inne is a private property and the government does not have the authority
to remove people from private property. The
responsibility for preventing trespass and unauthorised occupation of private
land rests with the landowners. The state government has written to the
property owner of the Batavia inn, urging them
to take action to secure the property to prevent trespassing and antisocial
behaviour in the derelict buildings on the site, and to address the
health and safety hazards present at the site. Any criminal activity or
behaviour occurring at the site should be reported to the WA police.
(2)–(3) The Department of
Communities has not offered cash payments to complete a survey.