Pari Nikau was woken by being hit in the face with a shovel. He had been sleeping in a shed on a rooftop near Sydney\u2019s CBD and he thought he was safe.<\/p>\n
He remembers playing dead, then blackness.<\/p>\n
Hours later, he woke at St Vincent\u2019s hospital, where his head was being stapled.<\/p>\n
Two weeks after the 16 June assault, Nikau was told he was being discharged.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018I don\u2019t have money, I\u2019m homeless\u2019,\u201d says Nikau, who does not qualify for housing assistance from the government as he is from New Zealand and is not an Australian citizen. \u201cThe hospital shouldn\u2019t have let me out unless they knew I\u2019d be cared for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/a><\/p>\n Nikau briefly moved to a centre that provides accommodation and healthcare to homeless people, before losing that spot.<\/p>\n Now Nikau is among a group of rough sleepers at Sydney\u2019s Central station<\/a> struggling with changing rules.<\/p>\n Rough sleepers, having been moved on from other places in Central station, set up in a spot exposed to the elements but covered by a security camera. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Earlier this month, after a string of increasingly restrictive rules, they were told to move from a sheltered area between 6am until midnight.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in pain, I moved [to Central station] because I need to sleep,\u201d Nikau says. \u201cAnd every time I do, they come over and yell at me to move on. I\u2019m over having to repack. I can\u2019t start again.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Inconveniencing passengers\u2019<\/p>\n Since the latest change, Nikau and his friends have moved from the light rail stop to a partially covered area out of the way of passengers. They\u2019re still woken at 6am but they can return once the morning peak hour is over.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s nowhere to sit, forcing them to huddle on the floor, exposed to the elements. Nikau still has his arm in a cast and is still recovering from multiple wounds.<\/p>\n Amanda, who did not want her surname published, has been sleeping at the station for two-and-a-half years.<\/p>\n She says Transport for NSW told her the rules had changed <\/strong>due to the \u201cflow of commuters\u201d and \u201cinconveniencing passengers\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThis train station is publicly funded, so why aren\u2019t we allowed to stay here?\u201d Amanda says.<\/p>\n Amanda still stays on the benches near the light rail stop \u2013 she has back problems and needs seating. She keeps her belongings tidy: a few suitcases, some backpacks covered in plastic sheeting. So far, she hasn\u2019t been reprimanded, but she says the police treat them \u201clike we\u2019re children\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThey wake us up like it\u2019s a school day,\u201d she says. \u201cHow are we inconveniencing people when we\u2019re not in the way of traffic? It\u2019s ridiculous.\u201d<\/p>\n A NSW police spokesperson says officers can issue move on directions if a person is causing, or is likely to cause, inconvenience to other people on railway premises. \u201cFailure to comply with a move on direction can result in a fine or removal from the premises.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing homeless is not an offence and NSW police will continue to work with the community and help homeless people make contact with appropriate services if needed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Where are people supposed to go?\u2019<\/p>\n Kylie Emery, who has been sleeping at Central station while grappling with complex trauma and PTSD, has been looking out for Nikau. She\u2019s been recovering from the \u201cworst flu of [her] life\u201d.<\/p>\n Kylie Emery with her belongings. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t use the benches because they say we\u2019re disrupting commuters, so I\u2019ve been sleeping in wet clothes in the pouring rain,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n Transport for NSW has recently begun confiscating or disposing of belongings left unattended. <\/strong>Last month, an unattributed poster warned homeless people at Central station to remove their belongings or they would be \u201cdisposed of\u201d, which a spokesperson for Transport for NSW says was a directive from NSW police.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople looking for their items are referred to the station office where they are assisted,\u201d they say. \u201cIf unattended belongings are moved, they are able to be collected. Sydney Trains will hold belongings for at least 24 hours.\u201d<\/p>\n Stephen Devine, who has been staying near the light rail stop for the past few weeks, has been helping to guard his friends\u2019 belongings.<\/p>\n He says one elderly woman went to get hand surgery last Friday and stayed in hospital overnight. The next morning, all her things were taken. Although she was able to recover her things, he worried that if she had come back a day later her belongings would have been binned \u2013 something he says he has seen happen to other people.<\/p>\n skip past newsletter promotion<\/a><\/p>\n Sign up to Breaking News Australia<\/p>\n Get the most important news as it breaks<\/p>\n Privacy Notice: <\/strong>Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy<\/a>. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy<\/a> and Terms of Service<\/a> apply.<\/p>\n after newsletter promotion<\/p>\n Emery and Nikau have become friends, watching over each other\u2019s belongings at Central station. Photograph: Jessica Hromas\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Nikau also found his items had been taken when he returned from the smoking area. After asking a number of people, he found his belongings next to some rubbish bins.<\/p>\n Kira Levin, a solicitor at the Justice and Equity Centre, says police can only move people on in public areas in accordance with the Law Enforcement (Powers and Responsibilities) Act<\/a>, which covers instances where people are obstructing persons or traffic.<\/p>\n She says authorised officers can also remove property if it\u2019s unattended, but there\u2019s also a specific protocol for homeless people in public spaces<\/a> \u2013 which requires that notice be given.<\/p>\n She says the poster was \u201cnot appropriate and not clear\u201d as it didn\u2019t specify who was giving the order.<\/p>\n \u201cCreating this confusion is really not helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n Levin says instead of police instructing the homeless people to move on, they should talk to them and find out \u201cwhy there are a growing number of people sleeping there\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWhere are people supposed to go is my question,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a limited number of places in Sydney where there\u2019s shelter and CCTV.\u201d<\/p>\n A worsening problem<\/p>\n According to a state government count, the number of rough sleepers has grown by nearly 70% in five years, from 1,314 in 2020 to 2,192 in 2025.<\/p>\n Levin says many have difficulty finding temporary accommodation or social housing, as they can lack identification, be unable to pay or may not be a permanent resident.<\/p>\n \u201cYou need to engage with people in a way that\u2019s trauma informed, explaining what\u2019s happening, and giving options about where they\u2019re supposed to go,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The NSW minister for homelessness, Rose Jackson, says she is \u201cabsolutely concerned about the situation at Central station\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one should be forced to live rough. It\u2019s not safe, it\u2019s not dignified and we have a responsibility to do better,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve already surged services in the area to connect people with support, accommodation and long-term housing pathways.\u201d<\/p>\n Jackson says the state government has provided the largest investment in homelessness services<\/a> in NSW history, including a $6.6bn Building Homes for NSW program, focused on social housing and homelessness support.<\/p>\n