Tuesday, 9 September 2025

Dau Akueng and Chol Achiek

Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (14:10): I rise to send condolences to the families and friends of Dau Akueng and Chol Achiek and the Cobblebank community. I never expected such horror on the streets of my Western Victoria Region electorate. The motto of our once-great state is ‘Peace and prosperity’. Migrants from all corners of the world come to Australia to create a better life for themselves and their children, for a safe life. Over the weekend we had two bright young lives tragically cut short – boys walking home from basketball. It is so good to have our young people involved in sporting activities – fit, healthy and engaged. These boys should have had bright futures. They should have been safe walking home. The senseless violence should be the focus of another day, but we have obviously failed a cohort of youth, who find their identity more readily in a gang than in something constructive, such as a basketball club. Our thoughts are also with our brave police as they search for the perpetrators while also trying to protect and build trust with the youth of Melton and surrounds. Every violent crime leaves trauma and fear. This is up there with the worst imaginable – innocent, unarmed children being set upon by multiple armed offenders, who remain at large. There are many people reporting a fear of leaving their homes or even of being in their homes, such is the rise of violent crime in our state.