Perth council faces swift backlash after installing speakers to emit high-pitched noise near rough sleepers

A Western Australian council is facing criticism from homelessness advocates after installing high-pitched noise devices near rough sleepers camping on a cycle path.

The City of Perth engaged the Public Transport Authority (PTA) to place speakers which emitted shrill sounds 24/7 under the Lord Street overpass in East Perth.

Rough sleepers had been camping near the overpass but had moved their tents onto the cycle path after high fences were erected.

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The PTA switched off the speakers when advocates and politicians questioned the decision.

"We will be asking the City of Perth to determine a more suitable way forward," a PTA spokesperson said.

Chief executive of Street Smart Australia, an organisation that helps people experiencing homelessness, said devices like the ones installed in Perth are a "distraction" from the real problem.

"When we design spaces that make people uncomfortable or unwelcome, it treats homelessness as though it's a visibility issue, as opposed to a systemic policy failure or a challenge within society that many people are experiencing," White told nine.com.au.

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White said resources would be far better spent directing rough sleepers to support services – along with funding these services.

"We know that the right outreach, the right level of early intervention, but also the right investment in housing infrastructure actually creates long-term systemic change, not this," he said.

"We have these knee-jerk reactions because people aren't listening."

He urged councils to bring people with lived experience of homelessness into the conversation.

"To help understand why they may present in this area, how the right supports could help them transition to a safer, more dignified place for people experiencing homelessness," he added.

WA Greens democracy spokesman Tim Clifford said the devices were "utterly diabolical".

"Like homelessness itself, the use of hostile architecture – including the audio device used in East Perth – represents a government failure to address the housing crisis," Clifford said.

"This is not the first time a local government has taken this kind of action against rough sleepers, and I doubt it will be the last."

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A spokesperson for the City of Perth said the device was "not intended to target or deter people experiencing homeless" but was installed to "improve the safe use of the space".

"The City of Perth worked with the Public Transport Authority (PTA) in response to ongoing reports of antisocial and criminal behaviour and community concerns about safety in the area, including from cyclists using the bike path through the Lord Street underpass," the spokesperson said.

"We recognise this is a sensitive issue and remain committed to ensuring public spaces are safe and accessible for everyone."

The council said it has increased security patrols and installed CCTV to support safe use of the underpass.

It also works with relevant departments to help anyone experiencing homelessness to access support services, the spokesperson added.

"The city's Accredited Homelessness Service site provides meals, clothes and access to a mobile laundry and showers," the spokesperson said.

"A street doctor and allied health services, as well as referrals to other services, are also available on site."

WA Premier Roger Cook said the decision to install the speakers "did not go up the chain of authority" when asked about it during a press conference.

"Obviously, this is not what we do in Western Australia,"Cook said.

"We try to avoid persecuting or making life uncomfortable for people who are homeless and already experiencing a great deal of discomfort."

WA councils have used aggressive tactics to move along homeless groups in the past.

In 2023, the City of Bunbury played The Wiggles' song Hot Potato on repeat to drive away homeless people from gathering at a shelter.

The King Street Arts Centre in Perth also faced backlash in 2015 after using a sprinkler system in a stairwell to stop homeless people from sleeping there.

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