What Business and Residents Deal with Every Day in the City of Port Phillip

•  Open drug use,
• Verbal threats and abuse,
• Street-level dealing,
• Crack pipes and dumped furniture littering public spaces.
• Surrendering public spaces to often dangerous and illicit activity.

This Amendment Is About Safety — Not Punishment

This change to the Camping Law is designed to:

✅ Dismantle dangerous drug encampments.

✅ Curb public drug use and dealing,

✅ Connect people to rehab, housing, and mental health services,

✅ Reclaim and clean up public spaces,

✅ Protect residents, workers, and the vulnerable from escalating harm.

Many of those frequenting these camps are not homeless. They come here to deal or use drugs. In doing so, they endanger those who are genuinely homeless, mentally unwell, or vulnerable — the very people we should be prioritising.

What We Are Asking For

We call on the City of Port Phillip to:

✅ Pass the “Camping Law amendment to support the recommendations from the Round Table,

✅ Reject misleading language like “fines for the homeless,”

✅ Give Victoria Police the authority they have requested and need,

✅ Acknowledge the harm these camps are causing to business and the general community which these changes are designed to assist in rectification.

Have Your Say

Public consultation is now open. Speak up before more community harm is done.

Feel Safe. Be Safe – Port Phillip | Have Your Say

Here is the link – https://haveyoursay.portphillip.vic.gov.au/feel-safe-be-safe

You need to complete the entire 15-minute survey to get to a question on Rod Hardy‘s Camping Law Amendment.

There is an option to complete a 5-to-7-minute survey or answer more questions. You need to select answer more questions to get to the two questions on the local laws.

The Facts

In February this year, Councillors voted unanimously to support Cr Rod Hardy’s review of amendment to Clause 42 of the local laws ‘Camping on Council Land’ [Camping Law] which currently exempts people who are homeless or have complex needs. The proposed change to the Camping Law:

✅ Provides clarity in interpretation of the law to council staff and authorized officers,

✅ Provides discretion on when it is appropriate to apply the law,

✅ Compliments recommendations from the Community Roundtable,

✅ Operates within protocols of support for homeless people through various agencies.

We Don’t Want to Fine the Homeless — We Want to Shut Down Drug Camps

The Residents of Port Phillip support the proposed change to existing  laws because it finally gives Victoria Police the regulatory tools they’ve been asking for — That is tools to address dangerous drug encampments before someone else gets seriously hurt.

What this Law Will Not Do

This law will not solve everything overnight. But it’s a crucial first step toward restoring safety, dignity, and order in Port Phillip. The proposed amendments to the Camping Laws will complement the recommendations from the Community Round Table Recommendations. Without amendment to the Camping Laws, the outcomes from the Round Table are not workable on implementation.

The “Fines for the Homeless” – A False Narrative from Activists

Let’s set the record straight: claims that this law would “fine the homeless” are categorically false.

Yet some activists and media outlets egged on by politicians seized on this, twisted it, and turned it into clickbait — attempting to derail an honest conversation about public safety into base line politics.

A Message to the Councillors Who Opposed the Amendment

To the three councillors who voted against this progressing this regulatory change further:

You were elected to protect the community — not ignore it. If you care about the vulnerable, recognize that this law is

✅ A pathway to support, not punishment.

✅ Compliments and strengthens the recommendations out of the Community Roundtable.

Email Every Councillor – Demand Action

• Heather Cunsolo – Heather.Cunsolo@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Beti Jay – Beti.Jay@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Libby Buckingham – Libby.Buckingham@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Alex Makin – Alex.Makin@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Rod Hardy – Rod.Hardy@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Serge Thomann – Serge.Thomann@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Justin Halliday – Justin.Halliday@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Louise Crawford – Louise.Crawford@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Chris Carroll (CEO) – Carroll@portphillip.vic.gov.au
• Bryan Mears – bryan.mears@portphillip.vic.gov.au

Let’s bring back truth, dignity, and common sense to Port Phillip

No more click bait, No more fear. No more obfuscation. Send a message to Council. Change the Camping Laws!

Enough is Enough.