Australian Man Confronted for Public Defecation in Adelaide Suburb: Legal Consequences Explained

The man in the photo claimed he was merely urinating.

New Delhi:

A resident of Adelaide confronted an individual squatting on a suburban street in Para Hills, allegedly defecating. The incident, captured in video footage shared on Facebook, shows Trent Carter approaching the man who was crouching on a patch of ground near a residential property.

"Brother, what are you doing? What are you doing?" Carter can be heard asking. The individual quickly pulled up his pants and responded, "What do you mean?"

Carter continued, "What are you doing? This is Australia. Don't sh*t on the ground you pig." Despite the man's insistence that he was "just peeing," Carter replied, "Peeing on the ground? What is wrong with you? You're squatting, that's not how you pee."

Carter proceeded to call the man a "f**king dog" and kicked dirt toward his feet. He later uploaded the footage with the caption "Has this become the norm?"

The video rapidly gained traction online. One Facebook user commented, "Send him back to his country to do that sh*t."

Another person wrote, "Right there in the street, couldn't even find a bush. Diabolical."

"Video of the year," read another comment.

One user stated, "I have laughed at this video at least 15 times."

"Absolute filth these people, no respect yet they demand it lol that's not gonna give them any points for respect," another comment read.

Throughout Australia, public urination or defecation is generally prohibited by law, although specific offenses and penalties differ across states and territories. Most jurisdictions classify such acts under broader categories like "public nuisance," "offensive conduct," or "indecent behaviour," while some states explicitly prohibit these activities. Law enforcement typically issues immediate fines for such infractions.

In South Australia, where this Para Hills incident took place, the Summary Offences Act 1953 specifically criminalizes urinating or defecating in public places outside designated toilet facilities. Violators face a maximum penalty of approximately $250, with expiation notices (usually involving lower fines) potentially being issued. South Australia is among the jurisdictions that explicitly mentions both urination and defecation in its legal statutes.