MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire mayor Cr Anthony Marsh has called on the state government to step in as the number of people sleeping rough at foreshore camping grounds is creating an “immediate challenge” ahead of the peak holiday season.
Marsh said the situation has become increasingly difficult as paid campers expect access to booked sites, while people experiencing homelessness had few local alternatives when asked to move on.
“The situation presents a significant and immediate challenge,” the mayor said in a letter to Housing and Building Minister Harriet Shing, seen by The News.
The mayor said council was facing a complex balancing act between enforcing campground bookings and responding compassionately to people experiencing homelessness who have sought shelter along the foreshore.
“When asked to move on, people experiencing homelessness are left with no local alternative options,” the mayor wrote.
“Our local homelessness services and charities are already at capacity and council does not have the legislative responsibility or resources to provide accommodation and ongoing support.”
The Mornington Peninsula local government area has this year been identified as having the highest number of people sleeping rough of any LGA in Victoria, including the City of Melbourne.
As of 30 June 30, 110 people were recorded as experiencing homelessness in the area, with 75 per cent sleeping rough in tents, cars, and foreshore reserves.
While the council continued to work with individuals on the ground, Marsh said the issue highlighted broader gaps in the homelessness system that local government could not resolve alone.
“The delivery and coordination of homelessness services is a state government responsibility. In the absence of any local options, council urgently requires clear direction on where individuals who are sleeping rough and being moved on from paid camping sites should be referred, to access support or crisis accommodation,” he said.
In the letter, dated 18 December, Marsh asked the Minster to provide “urgent advice” regarding appropriate services or locations to which people can be directed; and any immediate, short-term funding or support measures the state government can provide to address this seasonal increase in rough sleeping on foreshore campsites.
“Without clear guidance and additional resources, council is placed in a difficult position, balancing public safety and amenity, community expectations and the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable people experiencing homelessness,” he wrote.
When asked about the issue, a government spokesperson said, “every Victorian deserves the dignity of a modern home, which is why here in Victoria we work closely with specialist agencies to support people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness”.
“We invested more than $50m on homelessness services in the Bayside Peninsula, which includes the Mornington Peninsula, in the last financial year – more than any other part of Victoria,” the spokesperson said.
“Our government has also introduced the short stay levy, which Jess Wilson and the Liberals oppose, to support the delivery of more social housing and encourage more people to make their properties available as permanent rentals across the state, including in Mornington Peninsula,”
The government said from 3 December there were over 4500 reported Airbnb listings in the Mornington Peninsula Shire with high numbers of short stay rentals in the region “placing pressure on the most vulnerable Victorian households looking for a place to live, which is why the short stay levy is critical to building more social housing and adding more long-term rental properties to the market”.
“The Salvation Army Victoria is funded to deliver initial assessment and planning services, and case management support in bayside and peninsula LGAs. They also provide homelessness services through The Crisis Centre in Rosebud, a drop-in service for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. We’ve invested more than $1m to support the operation of youth refuges in Moorabbin and Mount Martha,” the government said.
In a statement to The News, Marsh said “the responsibility for funding and providing services for homelessness sits with the state government, yet they’ve turned their back on the peninsula”.
“Mornington Peninsula has the largest number of homeless people in all of Victoria, yet this government continues to put its head in the sand and make local charities deal with the growing situation.”
The shire has had a housing crisis declaration in place since 2021 in response to the growing pressure on housing affordability and availability across the peninsula.
First published in the Mornington News – 23 December 2025
