Thursday, 20 February 2025

Community safety

Jess WILSON (Kew) (17:17): (1023) My adjournment tonight is for the Premier, and the action I am seeking is for the Premier to allow members of Boroondara police to attend the community safety forum I am hosting next month. Every day I am listening to my constituents, and many are telling me that they no longer feel safe in our community; indeed not a day goes by that I do not have a constituent contact me about their concerns when it comes to crime and community safety. This is a terribly sad indictment on the government’s performance when it comes to one of its most sacred duties, which is to keep our citizens safe. Every Victorian has a right to feel safe in their own home and in their business.

[QUOTES AWAITING VERIFICATION]

I want to share some of the correspondence I have received of late that has prompted me to hold this forum and many to book for the forum. One resident said:

I regret to inform you that we’ve experienced yet another incident of aggravated burglary on our street. This marks the third such occurrence in under 12 months. Furthermore, over two separate nights last week we’ve had a number of individuals casing homes and entering backyards. It has been a very worrying week on our street.

Another resident, a mother of three who was luckily away at the time her home was targeted, wrote:

Last night my home was invaded by a group of males who stole the keys to our three vehicles. I’m just so distressed. I don’t even want to return to our home. The police have been wonderful, but there’s only so much they can do with such ridiculously lenient laws. I’m scared for my children and how things could have gone wrong so very differently if we were home.

A father from North Balwyn wrote to me, saying:

Many residents, including myself, feel increasingly unsafe. I understand that these issues are complex and require a balanced approach; however, the safety and wellbeing of our community should remain a priority.

Yet another wrote:

I have never before been concerned about safety, but I am now. My neighbours had a home invasion this week. They are traumatised. The service station at the end of my street has been held up recently. My mother’s house has been broken into. Why are the victims’ rights to be ignored?

Premier, why are you not listening to these victims? Why have you allowed the pendulum to swing too far in favour of the perpetrators instead of community safety?

The latest crime statistics from the Crime Statistics Agency do not lie. Crime has reached the highest level on record in Victoria. Youth crime has also hit a 15-year high. The crime statistics in my own electorate paint an equally concerning picture. Crime in Boroondara from September 2023 to 2024 show that aggravated robbery is up 57 per cent, aggravated burglary is up 43 per cent, motor vehicle theft is up 27 per cent and theft from a retail store is up 33 per cent.

Under this Labor government bail is a revolving door for repeat offenders. The weakening of bail laws under this government is directly contributing to this worsening crime crisis every day. Premier, all I am asking is you allow members of Boroondara police to attend the community safety forum so that residents can better understand what is happening in our area and what measures they can take to keep safe.