A hard-working Australian who was threatened with an $800 fine for sleeping in his van has sued his local council for targeting the most vulnerable members of society during a cost-of-living crisis.
Movie set builder Paul TylerThe 52-year-old says the Gold Coast is the worst offender when it comes to punitive fines after he was recently threatened with a hefty fine.
Tyler, who has lived and worked out of his van for four and a half years, was sleeping in a parking lot and not bothering anyone when he heard knocking on his vehicle door..
Gold Coast City Council workers and police officers identified themselves and then questioned him about why he was in his van and why he was sleeping there.
Although Tyler works full time in the areaHe was threatened with a fine of more than $800 if he was caught sleeping in his vehicle again within the council area.
“The fine for sleeping in your truck used to be $667, now it’s over $800,” he said.
‘Why do they chase people who are in their vans, people who are sleeping in their cars, and then impose such a ridiculous fine on them?
‘You’re targeting people who are doing it harder than others, and then you’re imposing phenomenal monetary fines on them.
Paul Tyler, who was threatened with an $800 fine for sleeping in a van, has criticised his local council for targeting the most vulnerable members of society during a cost of living crisis.
The 52-year-old film set builder says the Gold Coast is the worst offender when it comes to punitive fines after he was recently threatened with a hefty fine.
“And the Gold Coast is the worst of all the places I have ever stayed.”
The travelling artist told the Daily Mail Australia that the hefty $800 fine would “hit anyone” but especially those who are having a hard time.
“I don’t need help, but there are other people in worse situations. And what does it do for them?” he said.
“I can take care of myself, but others can’t. The fine only creates bigger problems.”
Where is your moral compass?
Tyler said his job building sets takes him to different locations where he must stay for months at a time, so living in his van is flexible and financially viable..
“I can’t get short-term rentals – the prices are out of control,” he said.
“I would love to stay in Queensland, I would love to rent and stay here, but I don’t have a permanent job. I don’t have a rental history either.”
Tyler once owned his own home and three successful businesses, but they failed in late 2017.
Tyler, who has lived and worked out of his van for four and a half years, was sleeping in a parking lot and not bothering anyone when he heard knocking on his vehicle door.
She eventually managed to get back on her feet working in New Zealand, but then Covid hit and she moved back to Australia, where she bought a van out of “necessity”..
And now the cost of living has risen dramatically, Tyler said living in a van has become more expensive than it used to be..
“Everyone always tells me, ‘You must be saving a lot of money living in your van,’ but sometimes I wonder where my money goes,” she said.
“Even in a van you can see that prices are going up, like those of fuel and food, which have gone up a lot since Covid.”
Tyler said he had been threatened with fines for sleeping in his van on the Gold Coast many times before, and in 2021 he was fined more than once..
“I wasn’t on a beach, I was across the road in the woods,” he said.
“When the city council and the police show up, they warn you, the police take photos of your van, document everything and then tell you that your vehicle is marked,” he said.
‘Two weeks later I was given a fine of $667.’
The artist never had any trouble sleeping in his van in other towns on Australia’s east coast (pictured, in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales).
Tyler said he was caught again weeks later and issued another $667 fine, with the council employee telling him: “Every time I see you, you’re going to get a fine.”
“I’ve stayed on every beach and in every town on the east coast of Australia, all the way to Cape Tribulation, and several times,” he said.
‘I know what councils are like with vans. And the Gold Coast is the only place in Australia where vans are hunted.
‘A police officer and a municipal worker in two different vehicles, travelling together.’
The travelling artist told the Daily Mail Australia that the hefty $800 fine would “affect anyone” but especially those who are having a hard time.
Tyler said the council uses the threat of fines to force people to pay to sleep in their caravan parks, but they… They are too expensive
“It costs more than $50 a night in a place with no electricity, where I only have one shower, but showers are easy to get elsewhere,” he said.
A City of Gold Coast spokesperson said the council was seeking to create public areas that are safe and accessible “for all residents, visitors and businesses”.
“People found camping illegally or sleeping in vehicles on roads or in parks are advised of appropriate sleeping locations before being asked to leave,” they added.
‘If the person is a repeat offender, a fine may be imposed. The city offers safe and legal camping in our tourist parks.
The council went on to say that if a person finds themselves homeless, a Public Space Liaison Officer will “help them find suitable and sustainable housing”.
They said there had been a 40 percent increase in reports of illegal camping and homelessness in the past three years.
Federal MP for Moncrieff, Angie Bell MP, told Daily Mail Australia the fine was indicative of a wider housing problem.
“I feel sorry for all those who are forced to live in their vehicles, especially children,” he said.
‘Ultimately, they are paying the price for Labor’s failure to provide adequate housing (at state and federal level), along with the failure to curb domestically generated inflation.’
Surfers Paradise resident John-Paul Langbroek told Daily Mail Australia that the current situation of people forced to live in their cars was a failure of the state.
“While this is a compliance issue for the City of Gold Coast, the housing crisis has been created by a state Labor government that has overseen a significant decline in land release, refused to work with the community housing sector and presided over minor increases in the number of social housing units compared to the need of our community,” he said.
