Anger as centre goes to police training, not housing

An empty Queensland quarantine facility will not be used for crisis accommodation, sparking a backlash against the federal government. The Brisbane lord mayor has slammed the Commonwealth for opting to instead convert the 500-bed centre into a police training facility, calling it a "bitter blow" in the fight against homelessness. The federally-owned Pinkenba centre in Brisbane's north was built at the height of COVID-19 and completed in October 2022. But the $400 million facility has remained untouched, prompting calls for it to be made into emergency accommodation to help with a state housing crisis. Instead the Commonwealth on Friday confirmed it would be handed over to the Australian Federal Police and upgraded into a training centre. "It is a sad and absurd outcome which will be truly demoralising for those people sleeping rough in Brisbane," Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner said. "The federal government's decision against using the Pinkenba quarantine facility for crisis accommodation is a bitter blow in the fight against homelessness." The Queensland government had committed $10 million to transform the facility into emergency accommodation. The Brisbane City Council pledged $1 million toward its own crisis housing plan for the centre. Mr Schrinner said he had written to the federal government 641 days - almost two years - ago suggesting the facility be used as accommodation for the homeless. "Had the federal government acted, that's 641 nights that hundreds of people, including women and children, won't have been forced to sleep in cars and tents at sites across Brisbane," he said. "The state government should have convinced their federal colleagues months ago to allow Pinkenba to be used for crisis accommodation. "Now the opportunity has been lost because these two levels of government simply couldn't make a decision." Queensland premier Steven Miles said his government had been eager to work with the Commonwealth to convert the facility into affordable housing. "We know that there are many people sleeping rough in the southeast and so we were eager ...to identify a solution," he told reporters on Friday. "But at the end of the day this is the Australian government's facility and how they use it has to be their decision." Support service Micah Projects CEO Karyn Walsh said the facility was not "fit for purpose" for crisis accommodation and urged the state government to fast track its housing plan. "We need to make sure that we just have a balance between putting a roof over someone's head to actually having a pathway for someone to have a home and a secure tenancy," she told AAP. "I think that every barrier should be broken down to make sure that we can build as quickly as possible." Federal Finance Minister Senator Katy Gallagher and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said in a joint statement they would transfer management of the centre to the AFP. "The Australian government will retain the ability to direct that the Brisbane centre be used in the event of emergency," the statement said.