Real estate agent's 'disgusting' post highlights dark problem in Australia

A Queensland real estate agent who appeared to mock a rough sleeper living in a tent on social media has been met with fierce backlash with critics saying it's a sad example of the reality that Aussies aren't "taking the nation's housing crisis seriously".

The Queensland agent wrote beside an image of a rough sleeper in a park: "Tell me how [you] would market this", urging respondents to join in on the "joke", prompting people to share their thoughts with multiple laughing emojis.

As demand for social homes skyrockets, and at a time when tenants are paying increasingly high prices in rent, it's "concerning" to see "anyone making light of people in tents", one anti-homelessness advocate lamented to Yahoo News.

The agent was swiftly criticised by other Aussies for the heartless post and later deleted it, but not before screenshots were shared widely online stoking anger with one person going as far as saying it's "disgusting" to "mock someone like this". "This needs to be reported to the Real Estate Institute of Queensland," another said while others branded it "insensitive" and "unacceptable".

Yahoo News has decided not to name the agency, which did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Paul Slater, who runs the Northwest Community Group and manages a makeshift tent community in Musgrave Park in Brisbane's south was among those to express disappointment by the flippant attitude to homelessness on display.

Speaking to Yahoo, Slater said the country is in "a housing emergency" and that anybody living in a tent is not doing so "by choice", making the real estate agent's remarks on social media all the more disheartening.

While it appears the post was not written with true malice, it reflects a lack of awareness and compassion for those who sleep rough, Slater said.

"As much as I love a good meme and have a dark sense of humour, it is concerning to see posts like this," he continued. "We are in a housing emergency. I'm putting up multiple tents a day for people who are victims of a housing market that has been favouring property investors for decades.

"This, alongside a lack of investment in social housing, as well as a cost of living crisis have created a perfect storm that is resulting in homelessness like we haven't seen in living memory. Anyone that makes light of people in tents, or renters who are struggling with their rent is not taking this situation seriously."

Growing tents cities are Australia's shame

As a society, we should be ashamed to see the number of tents popping up, Slater said, adding that we should "also remember that people in tents only account for a very small portion of people" who are experiencing homelessness.

"We, as a society, should be holding our governments to account for what's happening at the moment. We should demand better," he urged. "Housing is a human right, but each night thousands of people are left to sleep on the streets due to failures in housing policies, as well as lack of funding and infrastructure in our social housing.

"I would implore everyone to be empathetic to people who are experiencing homelessness, and instead of poking fun at them see how you can help."

Have your say

Grim statistics paint poor picture of homelessness

In Australia, on any given night, 122,494 people are experiencing homelessness, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, with that number believed to significantly higher than reported.

One in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12. While 23 per cent of people experiencing homelessness — almost one in four — are children and young people between 12 and 24.

In NSW, there are some 60,000 people on the wait list for social homes, while in Queensland that figure is around 40,000, with such high levels mirrored in most other Aussie jurisdictions.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.