Sydney  - They live closer to picture-perfect Bondi Beach than anyone else. Their home is the heritage-listed Bondi Pavilion. And they don't pay rent.

But the Bondi Nine, as the locals call them, are not the luckiest men alive. They don't have jobs, have had problems with alcohol and mental illness, and are under pressure to end an 8-year squat at the much-photographed 80-year-old public building.

They do have rich and powerful supporters. Lawyer Dymphna Hawkins has taken their case to the Supreme Court and won a legal ruling that gives them a few more weeks in their wonderful abode.

"What it shows is that we can have faith in our judiciary to make decisions that are compassionate to the homeless and the people who are marginalized in our society," Hawkins said.

Mayor Sally Betts is exasperated. The courts routinely evict private tenants who fall behind in the rent, yet those who squat in public buildings get the support of the courts to defy the local authority.

"We're not about dumping them somewhere," said Betts. "I think part of the difficulty is that we can't guarantee that any of our homeless would be housed in Bondi."

The local authorities say that some of the Bondi Nine are ready to move into council digs in less pricey suburbs but that group leader Kevin St Alder is insisting on solidarity.

"I'd rather be homeless in my area of choice than housed somewhere else," the defiant 49-year-old said.

Articulate and savvy, St Alder has lived in Bondi Beach for most of his life. He's been priced out of the rental market but, unlike thousands like him, is refusing to move.

"I think it's the responsibility of communities to support people that are in situations like myself and, you know, that's what makes a good society," he said. (dpa)