Thursday, 5 March 2026

 Bev McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (12:45): My constituency question is to the Minister for Police. Early on Sunday morning a Geelong restaurant was targeted in yet another brazen break-in, with CCTV capturing a thief entering the premises and stealing from the business. This is the third time in less than two years that this business has been broken into. Incidents like this are becoming sadly typical of what traders in Geelong and across Victoria are experiencing. Retail crime has been rising sharply, with more than 41,000 retail theft offences recorded in Victoria in the year to June 2025, a significant increase on the previous year. For small businesses already struggling with rising costs, taxes, energy prices and regulatory burdens, repeated theft and break-ins are often the final straw. What additional measures will the government take to protect small businesses in Geelong and ensure that repeat offenders targeting local traders are properly deterred?