In an early morning interview with Dave, a well known local identity and long time brothel operator, and separately with known drug dealers who for compelling reasons spoke on condition of anonimity, there was universal support for DoCS Minister Linda Burnies policy of not supporting homeless people on the streets.

 A clearly earnest Dave said ” It will do my business a world of good. More sellable girls will see the advantages of working in the industry. More choice for our customers.More money for us. Getting rid of the foodvans will empower the girls and push them towards renting out their greatest asset while they’re prime meat; no use regretting not selling when they’re 40.”  Dave had not heard the good news until we told him and he was unusually jovial, even offering us a “free house sample as we left-we politely declined.

 As we left we came across a couple of guys known to us to sell drugs, who are never seen at the foodvans. They are known to be “middle management” looking after a string of street dealers. They were less enthusiastic than Dave- “wots that gotta do wit us bra?- until they realised that this would mean more hungry people, more reliant than ever on turnin an earn on the streets; for many selling their drugs. As the realisation kicked in their demeanour shifted from WTF u askin us? to smiles and jokes, “might be worth another elbow a day to us if we work it, an it means more waitin in line to sell as the “street conga dances” -street dealers go to jail. All good, cheers for the heads up, want any…no charge, aw,take it bra. Again we decline as we head off to rush this story into cyberia.

 NSW Labor and Minister Burnie have some support on the street after all,its not one way traffic for them.