Law changes to crackdown on 'illegal' backpacker hostels

The Queensland Backpackers Association says amendments to state laws governing youth hostels mean illegal operators will be caught. The amendments mean homes with multiple bedrooms and occupants now fall under the category of share houses. Association president Brett Claxton says in the past people have bought large homes and rented them to up to 10 students, without the property being listed as a business. He says the change to the law will make it fairer for honest backpacker hostel operators to compete. "You can look in the realtor this weekend and I'd be surprised if you didn't see a house for sale in Parramatta Park or Westcourt that would have six bedrooms," he said. "It's very smart as the owners of the home [who are] usually younger people [can] actually pay off their mortagage in a hurry. "It's a great business tactic, but still the moral of the story is that [we] are human beings and we don't want anything bad to happen." ABC News