Doubt over Palm Beach park homes

Housing Minister Troy Buswell has conceded that the future of long-term residents at a Palm Beach caravan park is uncertain after getting a cool response from colleagues on a plan to buy the site.

Mr Buswell agreed this week to investigate a proposal put forward by the Opposition to buy caravan parks in a bid to ensure security for long-term residents.

But he said the Government’s response to buying Palm Beach Caravan Park had not been positive.

‘‘The department has looked at Palm Beach and its response was that it is expensive,’’ he said.

The announcement came after Opposition Housing spokesman Mark McGowan asked the Government to take urgent action to help park home residents, particularly those from Palm Beach. Mr Buswell said he would review the relevant Act to ease wider problems, including the illegal eviction of parkhomeresidents.

‘‘The Department of Housing will start to look at trying to acquire a caravan park,’’ he said.

‘‘I am also saying that the behaviour of some park owners may have been less than satisfactory and they may have potentially illegally evicted people.’’

His spokeswoman said Mr Buswell would advise the Department of Housing to buy one caravan park initially, then possibly more.

The Government would consider options to ensure caravan parks remained in long-term use.

Mr Buswell told Parliament t h e Government would continue to make ex-gratia payments available to help people forced to leave their homes in caravan parks.

He has also asked a parliamentary committee to consider an investigation into all park homes that have been closed or have evicted long-stay tenants since 2006.