Data from Parks Victoria reveals residents of Brunswick and Northcote took most advantage of the offer of free sites, making a mockery of Labor's claim the scheme would help struggling families book camping holidays.
Brunswick was the No.1 suburb taking up the free camping offer. Occupational data reveals 73 percent of the inner-city suburb population is employed as professionals, managers or public servants.
Shadow Minister for Public Land Management, Melina Bath said the trial created a ghost camping crisis, where people booked multiple sites to block out adjacent spaces and secure premium locations.
"This ghost camping fiasco left sites empty while struggling families missed out and small businesses in regional Victoria paid the price," Ms Bath said.
"Labor's free camping policy handed freebies to upper-middle income earners, who could easily afford the fees."
Exposed as a costly failure and wasting $9 million of taxpayers' money on a scheme that was doomed from the start, Ms Bath said the decision to raid the Treasurer's Advance was indefensible.
"Treasurer's Advances are for emergencies not for government headline grabs, this is a blatant misuse of public funds," Ms Bath said
Ms Bath called out the inequity of the program and Labor's financial recklessness.
"Among Victoria's highest income earners, Brunswick residents snapped up free sites while families doing it tough, missed out," Ms Bath said
"The state is drowning in debt paying $28 million a day in interest, yet Labor still finds ways to squander taxpayer dollars.
"The Allan Labor Government sold this policy to support Victorians in a cost-of-living crisis, yet it squandered $9 million and delivered nothing for those who needed help most.
"Labor can't manage money and Victorians are paying the price."
