Tuesday, 8 September 2026

 Georgie CROZIER (Southern Metropolitan) (13:09): (2590) My question is to the Premier. When I am talking to residents and traders in suburbs across my electorate, from Oakleigh to Bentleigh to South Melbourne, they tell me crime is the number one issue. On Saturday I was out in Oakleigh with Mr Davis and others, our candidate and some volunteers. One of the volunteers, Amanda, is a victim of crime. She lives in Malvern, and I know her very well. She, like many other Victorians, is living in fear. Their sense of safety has been eroded by the home invasions, machete attacks and firebombings that have become all too frequent. They feel unsafe in their homes, in their businesses and in local streets. The Premier last month said:

Victorians have told us they still want to see someone at the counter when they walk into their local station, and I’m listening.

Weeks later we learned that a number of stations will close their front counters on 4 October, including in Southbank, in the electorate of Albert Park. Why have you backtracked, Premier, and left my constituents without a manned police station in the middle of a crime crisis?