Thursday, 19 March 2026

 Jess WILSON (Kew – Leader of the Opposition) (17:01): (1599) My adjournment is for the Premier. The action I am seeking is for the Premier to explain why since she became Premier in 2023 criminal offences in Boroondara have increased every single year, putting the community at risk and leaving residents afraid in their own homes. My community, like all Victorians, has serious concerns about rising crime, especially when it comes to violent crime, home invasions, car jackings and knife crime. For too many residents, their homes are no longer the safe havens they should be, where people expect to be able to come home at night without the fear of armed offenders breaking in while they and their children sleep. That sense of safety has been completely eroded under this Premier’s watch. Under Labor crime is up and police numbers are down. Criminal offending has reached a new record high, and Victorians have never been less safe. The latest stats, just released today, show that in Boroondara total offences are up 13 per cent; motor vehicle theft is up 16 per cent; residential aggravated burglary is up 6 per cent; residential non-aggravated burglary is up 14 per cent; and prohibited weapons offences are up a staggering 43 per cent.

Just a few weeks ago one of my constituents arrived home at around 9:15 to find their street in lockdown. Police had established a perimeter following reports of attempted carjackings nearby. He was told to go inside, stay at the back of his home and remain alert in case offenders were hiding in the backyard. Police, including dog squads, then moved through neighbouring properties and ultimately arrested two individuals. It later emerged that those involved were allegedly armed with firearms and had attempted to carjack vehicles in the area, including outside a school while a father was waiting to pick up his daughter in broad daylight. That is not something Victorians should have to experience.

Reports of machete attacks, carjackings and home invasions across Melbourne are leaving Victorians feeling anxious, frustrated and frankly scared in their own homes. The constituent who contacted me expressed what many are feeling right across this state: disbelief that this type of offending is happening day in, day out under this Labor government and frustration that consequences do not match the seriousness of the crime. They are asking a very simple question: when is this going to stop?

Victorians understand that policing alone cannot solve every issue, but it does help. There are currently 367 fewer full-time police officers than when Jacinta Allan became Premier, and more than 40 police stations remain closed or operating on reduced hours. Victorians expect a justice system that backs police in, holds offenders accountable and acts as a real deterrent. Victorians want to feel safe again in their own neighbourhoods. My question to the Premier is: why does crime continue to rise under your watch?