On the boat that became his home, James Bryan made it clear to the authorities who want to evict him: “They’re going to have to get rid of me with a gun.”
Mr Bryan is among many Australians struggling with housing affordability.
When he lost his job, rather than join the NSW homeless crowd, he began living on Lindy Loo in Brisbane Water on the NSW Central Coast.
“Lost my job, lost my apartment and ended up on the water,” Mr. Bryan said.
There’s just one problem. Living on a boat is illegal in New South Wales and as a result authorities want to seize the vessel.
Mr Bryan says he has been fined multiple times by the NSW Maritime Authority and that authorities have told him the Lindy Lou could be impounded as part of a crackdown on abandoned, unregistered and unseaworthy vessels.
James Bryan was informed that his ship might be confiscated. (ABC News: Mario Conti)
“I recently got one for $750 for being at anchor for 90 days,” he told 7.30.
Mr Bryan is one of many people who are choosing to live on boats due to the housing shortage on the Central Coast.
He works occasional shifts but says he can’t afford rent.
Data from Realestate.com.au shows average rents in Gosford, on the Central Coast, have risen by more than 40 per cent over the past five years.
The JP Morgan report also said changes to CGT are unlikely to lead to lower rental prices.
While maritime authorities say many of the ships are unsafe and pose a danger to both passengers and the environment, people living on them say it’s better than sleeping on the street.
“This is my home… I don’t hurt anyone,” Mr. Bryan said.
Disability benefits pensioner Tracey Swann also lives on a boat on the Central Coast.
According to her, when she does not live on the water, she squats.
Tracey Swann is a disability pensioner. (ABC News: Mario Conti)
“We live in… abandoned buildings and stuff like that,”
she said.
She wants to buy a boat to escape this lifestyle.
“We have a lot of cleaning to do, but it’s so big inside,” she said at 7:30.
“There is a kitchen, a toilet and a shower.”
For Tracy Swann and many other homeless people, boats are a hot commodity. (ABC News: Mario Conti)
The boat owner is adamant: he will not be relocated
Several people living on boats in the area told 7.30 of hostile relations with Maritime NSW, which is reportedly cracking down on people living on boats they deem unsafe.
Safety concerns include that boats nearing the end of their useful lives are at risk of sinking, including while people are on board.
Maritime NSW also raised concerns about the poor management of wastewater from boats.
Maritime NSW general manager Shane Davey believes these issues need to be addressed.
Shane Davey is the general manager of Maritime NSW. (ABC News)
“The rules are there for a reason and we know there are safety concerns,” Mr Davey told 7.30.
“We know this is having an impact on the public and regular waterway users. We know there are environmental problems.”
Mr Bryan is adamant Maritime NSW will not promote it.
“This is my boat. They think they can put a sticker on my boat and just steal it. It’s not happening.”
In New South Wales, people are only allowed to live on a boat for 90 days a year.
In Queensland, people can live on board a boat all year round.
Mr Davey said thousands of unregistered vessels remained on state waterways but many were unseaworthy and recent incidents had highlighted those dangers.
It is unknown how many unregistered vessels there are throughout the state. (ABC News: Mario Conti)
“We saw one just a few weeks ago where a person had been living on board for quite some time and the anchor chain broke,” he said.
“The ship carried its heads over the coastal spit. It could very well have been fatal.”
Is there housing benefit?
Maritime NSW says it works with housing and support agencies before taking enforcement action and is committed to connecting people with homelessness services.
The responsible minister is NSW Minister for Roads and Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison. She says temporary housing and other supports are available to the homeless.
“There are motel or other temporary housing options that people can access if they are truly homeless,” she said.
Ms Aitchison said people with limited funds often end up buying boats from owners who have to carry out costly repair work.
Jenny Aitchison is the Minister responsible for the Law of the Sea in New South Wales. (ABC News: Jerry Rickard)
“Someone might buy an old boat, think it’s a good deal, and they can go out and fix it up themselves,” she said.
“They don’t have the financial capacity or even potentially the skills to do the job.”
She said enough work has already been done to persuade people to leave the ships.
“It’s a difficult situation, I understand that,” she said.
“We have the (department of) housing working with these people to provide them with alternative options that involve providing temporary relief.”
Six weeks to save your home
But for some people already facing homelessness, losing their boat could mean losing the only shelter they have.
Dave McPherson has six weeks to save his boat. (ABC News)
During filming on the Central Coast, 730 people witnessed Dave McPheron’s boat being seized by naval officers and police, which had a large hole in the side.
Now he has just over a month to save his boat.
“They give you six weeks to come up with the money to get it back and fix it and all that stuff. And if you don’t have the money to fix it, they will destroy the boat,” he said.
The 53-year-old cannot afford the repairs, although he says he has his own materials to repair the boat.
Without his boat, Dave McPherson now sleeps on trains and on the streets. (ABC News: Mario Conti)
Now he sleeps on trains and on the streets, but he has one solution in his head.
“Look for another boat.”
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