NSW Spent $1,797 to Fly a Homeless Man to New Zealand During a Camp Clearance
The New South Wales government paid $1,797 for flights to send a homeless man from Wagga Wagga to New Zealand rather than place him in temporary accommodation during a riverside encampment clearance, according to reporting published 12 September 2026. Guardian Australia
The man is Mark Hudson, 53. He says he holds permanent residency in Australia, the legal right to live there long term, and arrived 18 years ago. He says he lacks Visa Entitlement Verification Online, or VEVO, the online system used to prove visa status. Homes NSW repeatedly offered him a flight to New Zealand, where he has not lived for more than 18 years.
Homes NSW booked Hudson on flights to Sydney and onward to Auckland at a taxpayer cost of $1,797. The airline cancelled the international flight on Thursday. After Guardian Australia contacted the NSW government on Friday, Hudson was offered accommodation he is expected to move into next week.
The clearance followed the death of a newborn baby in May after its mother gave birth to twins in a tent at the encampment. The NSW government then brought together an emergency working group. Homes NSW has said it has been working with people facing housing insecurity in the area since April. NSW Government
Residents faced compliance action, formal orders to leave backed by penalties, of up to $1,100. Advocates said at least four people at the encampment were fined about $110 for not moving on in time. People living in the park had been given less than two weeks to leave under the government-led plan in June. ABC News
That plan was set up as a cross-agency response, where different government bodies coordinate on housing and support. The working group was chaired by Homes NSW at the specific request of the Premier. Council documents show Wagga Wagga City Council directing resources toward the Homelessness Encampments Emergency Response Plan. The state said the Wagga Wagga response would mirror models used for encampments on the Central Coast. Wagga Wagga City Council
Homes NSW confirmed travel costs, including air fares, were one of the support options available. Homes NSW and Vinnies front-line staff regularly attend campsites to offer support. Campsites are confirmed as abandoned by Homes NSW and Vinnies before further action. The council states it is working with other levels of government and support agencies to help people living in identified encampments relocate.
The Hudson case is not isolated in the public record. In August 2025, the Guardian reported on Pari being woken each morning by NSW police telling him to move on. Another man interviewed at the time, Nikau, said he had no money and was homeless, and did not qualify for government housing assistance. Guardian Australia
The broader context here is the tension between clearing camps through enforcement and placing people in lasting housing. Paying for travel closes a local case quickly. It leaves open status checks, eligibility and housing supply. Without VEVO proof, Hudson's residency claim stayed unverified in the system. A return to a country left almost 20 years ago would cut local service ties, while small fines and short deadlines leave little time for casework.
What to watch is whether the accommodation now offered to Hudson becomes a stable tenancy, whether others facing compliance action get the same outcome, and whether the Central Coast model fits a regional area with different housing stock and support capacity. The working group gives the state a way to coordinate. Its record will be judged by exits into housing, not departures listed as travel.
