Wednesday, 18 February 2026

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (18:43): (2331) My adjournment is to the Minister for Police and is in relation to rising crime in the Macedon Ranges. I recently visited businesses in Kyneton and spoke with local residents who have raised concerns about increased crime and reduced hours at the local police station. One business told me about seven break-ins on one day in Kyneton. I was told it is increasingly challenging for retail staff, who are facing a high number of violent and verbally abusive people coming in. I spoke with a mum who told me about her young daughter who was working at the local IGA store before Christmas when a man came into the store saying he had a machete up his shirt. The manager wrestled him to the ground and restrained him. He had a knife, but it took 45 minutes for police to get there to assist when the local station is just 5 minutes away. That same family had a motorbike stolen from their locked shed. I was asked why there are not enough police on the streets but if you drive 3 kilometres over the speed limit, they are there.

I met with another local resident who has been robbed eight times who also spoke about the high rate of crime in Gisborne which saw the Telstra store close its doors. A comic depicting the issue in the Midland Express shows a Telstra call centre operator saying, ‘Thanks for calling Telstra. To visit us in store, please go to Sunbury or Melton. It’s safer there.’ The latest crime data shows that in the past year total criminal incidents in the Macedon Ranges increased by 21 per cent. It does not matter if you live in Kyneton, Gisborne, Woodend, Riddells Creek or Macedon, crime has gone up. In 2023 reception counter hours were reduced at 43 stations with the expectation that Victoria Police would continue to recruit to fill current vacancies. Well, it is now 2026 and since then, when Jacinta Allan became Premier, the number of police has actually gone backwards. Crime is at an all-time high, with over 640,000 offences recorded in the 12 months to September 2025. Nearly half of those cases remain unsolved. With more crime and less police and stations still operating on reduced hours, crimes go unreported or unsolved, and ultimately community safety is being eroded. The common thread from speaking with local residents and businesses in Kyneton is the action that I seek: for the government to ensure that Victoria Police have the resources they need to do their job, more police on the streets and a station that remains open.