WHEN will Labor finally acknowledge the reality that Melbourne has become the crime capital of Australia? The latest data from the Crime Statistics Agency show Victoria now holds the highest number of recorded criminal incidents in two decades, with Melbourne leading all local government areas for both total offences and incident rates. In the 12 months to June 2025, police recorded over 483,000 criminal incidents statewide – an 18 per cent rise on last year – with Melbourne’s crime rate sitting at over 18,000 incidents per 100,000 residents.
Closer to home, our own Bass Coast community is not immune to this upward trend. The latest figures show criminal incidents rose by 10 per cent in the Bass Coast Shire in the year to June 2025.
Family violence incidents also increased by nearly eight per cent, with over 700 breaches of family violence orders recorded across the local area. Theft, property damage, and assault remain the most common offences – signs that lawlessness is spreading beyond metropolitan Melbourne and into regional Victoria.
The scenes in Melbourne last weekend should be a wake-up call. Acting Commander Wayne Cheeseman said it plainly when he emptied a box of rocks before the media – “This is what was thrown at police today, and I think Melbourne has had a gutful.” Police were attacked with projectiles, bottles filled with glass shards, and rubbish bins and flags set alight. Meanwhile, Victorian Police Association boss Wayne Gatt rightly called out the hypocrisy, saying of the violent groups, “Nobody believes you. You have no credibility.”
Premier Jacinta Allan’s weak response – referring to the culprits merely as “a small number” – shows a government utterly detached from reality. Labor continues to hide behind the issue instead of confronting it. Ordinary Victorians – from the streets of Melbourne to the towns of Bass Coast – have had enough of excuses.
Victoria Police can see what’s happening. The public can see it. And so can anyone watching the nightly news. It’s time for accountability, not just from the violent few, but from those in power who refuse to act. The people of Victoria have had a gutful. Enough’s enough.
Rob Parsons, The Gurdies