Wednesday, 5 March 2025

 David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (19:00): (1041) My adjournment tonight is to the Minister for Police, and the action that I seek is that the minister meet with a number of my traders in the areas of Glen Huntly, Balaclava, St Kilda, Elsternwick and Ormond to talk about some of the antisocial behaviour and crime that is happening in those areas that is impacting local trade but also the safety of those that live around it. We have a real issue in terms of these precincts. These precincts, as we know, are quite often the heart and soul of our community. They are places that provide a really good opportunity for obviously great small business options. But they are also places for people to congregate and to meet others, and they really do provide an element of safety, of a place to go. But unfortunately at the moment that is not happening in my electorate of Caulfield.

We have seen the likes of Jinny from Glen Huntly, who runs a traders group there, who shared with me recently disturbing footage of a man wielding a machete attempting to break into a local business, Burger Bliss. Jinny herself and the local owner of Swagath Grand, an Indian restaurant, were verbally and physically assaulted by a known drug-affected individual in this area. They are two issues that have happened just recently in Glen Huntly. I also met with a local resident there that has been attacked time and time again, both physically and verbally. In Carlisle Street James Olliver is one of the owners of Las Chicas and has been in that business for probably 19 years – a great institution right next to Balaclava station. He has seen many things come and go. What he never would have thought he would see was an elderly lady punched in the face walking past that particular shop. Another individual had climbed up onto the train station and was throwing bricks into oncoming traffic. This is something that is happening every single day. Rocco of the Acland Street traders has raised concerns about drug camps forming outside the area, deterring families and shoppers from visiting the precinct. He has witnessed individuals openly dealing and injecting drugs in front of customers and reported multiple cases of bike theft.

This is all happening here on our streets. It is happening every day. It is crime that we are seeing impacting on communities. It has got to be fixed. We need a resolution. Victoria Police are doing a fantastic job. They are under-resourced; 1100 police need to be recruited. But we also need the minister to come and talk to these traders and find out firsthand what crime prevention strategies can be implemented in these neighbourhoods so we can get the shops feeling safe, the traders feeling safe and, importantly, the residents who live around the area feeling safe as well.