Newborn death highlights Wagga homeless camp sanitation crisis

A newborn died in a Wagga homeless camp lacking nearby toilets or running water, prompting residents to demand council action while 700 people wait for social housing.

On Saturday, police found a newborn dead in a tent on the Murrumbidgee riverbank where the mother had gone into labour. The mother, a 37‑year‑old Indigenous woman, was discharged from hospital while her surviving twin was transferred to a Sydney facility. The cause of the infant’s death remains unknown.

The encampment sits up to a 15‑minute walk from the nearest public toilets or running water, leaving residents without basic sanitation. Residents of a nearby apartment block described conditions as worse than a Syrian war camp, and community outrage has grown since the tragedy.

Council officials say they could install temporary hygiene and sanitation facilities, but note such help would be short‑term only. They added that any such measure would need to be renewed regularly to remain effective.

Meanwhile, the local social housing waitlist stands at about 700 people, with the most vulnerable facing waits of up to four years. Homes NSW has previously assisted the mother’s family, but that support was relinquished before the birth.

The closest public toilets are closed overnight, and water from a nearby apartment building was cut off after complaints from residents about camp occupants using the taps. Some camp members had been using that water source until access was restricted.

The lack of sanitation raises health risks for everyone living in the camp, especially infants and pregnant women. Residents are calling for immediate access to clean drinking water and waste collection, while also urging longer‑term solutions such as more social housing.

Council’s ability to act is limited to temporary measures unless additional funding or state support is secured. A city councillor emphasized that providing waste collection and water access falls within the council’s remit, but only as a stop‑gap.

Watch for the Thursday meeting between the NSW housing minister, local MP, and Wagga mayor to see whether short‑term sanitation aid is approved and any pledge for extra social housing funding is made.