The Darwin council says it has been under "significant pressure" from a number of Labor government members to increase the number of fines issued to people sleeping rough.
The comments came after resident and former councillor Andrew Arthur told ABC Radio Darwin on Tuesday afternoon that Labor Legislative Assembly members (MLAs) Brent Potter for Fannie Bay and Mark Monaghan for Fong Lim attended a recent council meeting.
Mr Arthur said the MLAs asked if the council was "actually enforcing the by-laws", including moving on and fining illegal campers up to $162.
"I was horrified at that suggestion," Mr Arthur said.
"I couldn't understand it."
Mr Arthur said he then had meetings with Mr Potter and the council's general manager of community.
In a statement, the council said it had fined "some illegal campers" in the Fannie Bay area in keeping with the enforcement of its by-laws, after they "refused to cooperate" with council rangers.
However, it said its "approach to enforcing by-laws relating to illegal camping in public places" has not changed.
The council confirmed it has been in "regular contact" with Mr Potter regarding his concerns about illegal camping in his electorate, but said it has also been under pressure from other unnamed MLAs.
"We have also been subject to significant pressure from some current Northern Territory government MLAs to increase the number of infringements issued to vulnerable people who are sleeping rough in public places," the council said in a statement.
The statement said council rangers issued fines as a "last resort".
"We do not consider the fining of vulnerable people the solution to complex issues such as homelessness," it said.
Council says alcohol bans resulting in more rough sleepers
The council said there had been a "notable increase" in the number of people sleeping rough in Darwin, citing recent alcohol bans in the Alice Springs area as one of the contributing factors.
"We would be supportive of any initiatives the NT government can put in place to provide more short-stay accommodation and support services to people experiencing homelessness," it said in the statement.
Mr Arthur said he had met one of the people who had received a fine, describing her as an "older lady" with one leg.
"The most vulnerable of society are being told to move on," he told ABC Radio Darwin.
"The question is, where do you move on to? Because there is nowhere."
NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles did not directly answer a question from the ABC about whether she supported the push to fine rough sleepers.
She said in a statement that the territory government was investing $31.3 million in housing and homelessness services over the 2022-23 financial year.
"Services include short and medium-term accommodation, visiting accommodation such as Batten Road, sustaining tenancies programs and private rental programs that provide medium to long term housing options for people experiencing homelessness," the statement said.
'Our hostels are full'
Darwin small business owner Carol Phayer said she doesn't agree with fining rough sleepers as they are unlikely to be able to pay.
But she empathised with the MLAs' concerns about the increase in transient visitors.
"I understand the pressure [Mr Monaghan and Mr Potter] are under from all the businesses and all the residents around the Parap area and the CBD," she told ABC Radio Darwin.
"There's so much pressure from their electorate to do something about it."
St Vincent de Paul NT chief executive Rob Lutter told ABC Radio Darwin fining rough sleepers was "a little bit unfair".
He also confirmed there was no emergency accommodation available for transient visitors from remote communities, known locally as "long grassers".
"We are all full, there's no emergency accommodation and there's a lot of people who are long-grassing," Mr Lutter said.
"We get 15 to 20 calls a day — our hostels are full."
He said all levels of government need to work together to provide more accommodation, and that traditional facilities were often not suitable for visiting family groups.
