Homeless people at Sydney’s Central station have belongings removed with advocates condemning ‘heavy-handed’ tactics

Kylie Emery has been on a priority housing list for seven months, and is sleeping rough in Sydney’s Central station. ‘It’s horrible seeing ladies out here on the street,’ she says. ‘There are mothers and grandmothers here … we haven’t done anything wrong.’ Photograph: Bec Lorrimer/The Guardian

Kylie Emery returned from a shower on Thursday morning to find her shopping trolley full of belongings was gone. It contained everything she has to her name: a sleeping bag, warm clothes, her credit card.

Emery is among about two dozen people who have been sleeping rough at Sydney’s Central station, some for several years, in a sheltered spot near the light rail stop. The majority are women, who find the site safe because of its CCTV cameras and public location.