Arabic version: أم بلا مأوى تقول إن مولودها أُخذ منها أثناء انتظار السكن

According to ABC News, Hannah, whose name was changed for legal reasons, says Child Safety officers took her baby from Redcliffe Hospital when the child was two days old. She said she cried for several days after the officers arrived and has been reliving memories of giving birth and holding her newborn.

Hannah has lived in a tent at a homeless encampment for the past two-and-a-half years. She said officers issued a Temporary Assessment Order shortly after the birth, allowing them to seize the baby while a full report is prepared. Hannah said she had not received written reasons for the seizure, but believed her homelessness was at least part of the reason.

The encampment has no running water, electricity, bins or toilets, she said. Hannah said she had applied for both social and emergency housing but had not received an offer. The latest department figures show 56,680 Queenslanders are on the social housing waiting list, while the Queensland government cut $42 million from the emergency housing program in its 2026 budget.

The order prevents Hannah from seeing her baby without an authorised officer present. The Department of Housing and the Department of Child Safety said privacy laws prevented comment on her case. A Housing Department spokesperson said the government was committed to helping people in housing need and had committed a $450 million boost to Specialist Homelessness Services and crisis support in the state budget.