Support grows for banned backyard caravanners

Toowoomba woman Georgina Irwin was living in her caravan in her friend’s backyard because of Queensland’s housing crisis, before being forced to relocate to a paddock after the council issued a 24-hour eviction notice.

She started a Change.org petition titled “Compassion Before Compliance: Stop Fining People for Being Homeless,” which currently has close to 1400 verified signatures.

The struggling woman, who is also on crutches after breaking her leg, says she faces a fine of up to $8600 from the council for living in the caravan.

The Key Details

With Queensland in the midst of a housing crisis, where in some parts of the state the rental vacancy rate is as low as 0.7 per cent and housing prices increasing by 18.7 per cent over the past year, many residents are forced into alternative living arrangements or homelessness.

Toowoomba woman Georgina Irwin, also on crutches after breaking her leg five months ago, is one of these, living in a caravan in her friend’s backyard before a neighbour’s complaint prompted the council to issue her a 24-hour eviction notice, forcing her to relocate her caravan to a paddock.

Irwin is making a stand against the Toowoomba City Council after also discovering that living in a caravan as a temporary home on private property for more than 60 days without council approval breaches council rules and can result in fines ranging from $172.70 per penalty unit to a maximum of $8635.

Since launching the Change.org petition in May, it has received more than 1,370 verified signatures.

“We, the undersigned residents and supporters of the Toowoomba region, are calling on council to urgently review local laws and enforcement relating to people living in caravans on private property,” Irwin wrote on the Change.org petition.

“Queensland is currently facing a severe housing crisis. Many individuals and families are living in caravans not by choice, but because rental prices, low vacancy rates, and the shortage of affordable housing have left them with no other safe option.

"People should not be threatened with fines or forced out of temporary shelter arrangements when they are simply trying to survive and remain connected to their families, work, schools, and community,” she writes.

In the letter, Irwin requests that the Toowoomba City Council allow "temporary caravan living on private property during the housing crisis, introduce compassionate exemptions and permit pathways, pause enforcement action against people who are not causing safety or nuisance issues [and] work with the community to create practical and humane housing solutions”.

Irwin also cites a nearby council that has taken steps to support people in her position.

“Lockyer Valley Regional Council now allows a family member or friend to live in a caravan on a property for up to six months in a 12-month period without prior approval.”

The Fraser Coast Regional Council also implemented similar changes in 2023.

Many of the petition’s supporters have shared their own direct experiences of the Queensland housing crisis.

“I have been homeless not by choice, putting fines on people already doing it tough doesn't help, it is just adding to their stress and is morally wrong,” Debra from Brisbane wrote.

“Everyone deserves a home. Councils used to be for the people, now they’re money-grubbing opportunists who hide behind legislation and don’t have a shred of human decency or compassion. It would be difficult to live in a caravan, and even more challenging doing so on crutches. Compassion costs nothing but can mean everything,” added Kristy from Ninderry.

While the Toowoomba Regional Council is developing a Local Housing Action Plan that includes social and affordable housing, it isn’t expected to be completed until late 2026 or mid-2027, leaving residents like Irwin in the lurch.

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