Woman lashes out at news crews filming homeless camp at Flinders Street Station
LATEST: Tempers have flared at the homeless camp at Flinders Street Station, with a woman lashing out at camera crews.
The woman, who was pictured with drug paraphernalia earlier in the week, demanded the news crews left while pushing cameramen.
3AW’s Pat Mitchell was at the scene when the woman ‘turned on’ crews.
‘She told the news crews they had no right to film her while she was sleeping outside Flinders Street Station,’ he told Tony Jones.
Police have since spoken with the woman, where she asked officers why they had done nothing to ‘move on’ the news crews.
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Pressure is mounting on authorities to act on those who have set up along one of Melbourne’s most iconic streets, shocking tourists and visitors in town for the Australian Open.
The site has been labelled ‘disturbing and confronting.’
There are concerns the ‘ghetto-style’ look will affect Melbourne’s liveability rating.
3AW Mornings producer Michael Hilder visited the station and told Tony Jones there was drug paraphernalia and empty alcohol cans scattered about.
Trader Vince, who did not want to be identified, said he has not seen anything like it in the 45 years he’s worked there.
‘It is pretty horrendous, it is not a good look,’ he said.
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The Salvation Army’s Major Brendan Nottle says homelessness in Melbourne is a growing problem.
Click PLAY below to see a video taken this morning at Flinders Street
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry says Melbourne is at risk of losing its title of the world’s most liveable city due to the growing homeless camps around the city.
VECCI Chief Executive Mark Stone has told 3AW Breakfast it’s not a good look and there was evidence of ‘blatant’ drug-taking.
‘We’ve got shoppers, we’ve got tourists, we’ve got parents with kids in the city and it’s just unacceptable people are allowed to take drugs out in the open and not have some sort of sanction taken against them,’ he said.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle says the council is doing what it can, regularly cleaning the camps.
The Opposition says it’s time to re-introduce move-on laws and take a no tolerance approach to drug use in public.
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