Prahran Crime
4th February 2025
I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak on this matter, as my office is in Prahran. My office is probably 100 metres away from Chapel Street and is right next door to Prahran Train Station. And because I have visited Prahran Police Station, and met with the police, superintendents and all the hard-working officers there. And because of the hard work that I know they do each and every day, I am proud to be able to stand up here today and defend the work that our hard-working men and women in blue do.
51 police officers are allocated to Prahran Police Station as part of the Allan Labor Government’s record $4.5 billion dollar investment into Victoria Police, including nine specialist police for family violence. This comes from an overall total of 3,600 new police officers across the state, with 415 family violence officers and 48 youth crime officers.
And thanks to the hard work of our men and women in blue, the hard-working police who protect our community of Southern Metro, Mr Davis, we have seen:
Public order and security offences were down 8.7% (from 657 to 600 offences), driven by a decrease in Disorderly and offensive conduct (down 37.0% to 202 offences).
Public nuisance offences are down 4.5% to 127 offences and public security offences (unchanged at 15 offences).
Justice procedures offences down 8.5% (from 872 to 798 offences), driven by a decrease in Breaches of orders (down 14.6% to 562 offences.
And more broadly, the Allan Labor Government invested over $1 million in crime prevention projects across the City of Port Phillip - including $780,000 to install CCTV along Fitzroy St, Acland St and the St Kilda foreshore. This side of the chamber won’t be lectured about results – they may talk big on that side of the chamber, but this side of the chamber actually cares about results.
Under those opposite, crime soared 6.8 per cent in 2011/12, marking the first annual increase in more than 10 years. When the Liberal Party was in power, they cut 400 staff from the Victoria Police, including essential forensic experts. And let’s not forget the Kennett era, which Mr Davis would love to return to, where the Victorian Government effectively went to war against everyone in Victoria Police. When it comes down to it, the Liberal Party does not put their money where their mouth is, quite literally.
The Allan Labor Government has introduced the toughest laws in the country to end the illegal tobacco trade in Victoria. Individuals found to be selling illicit tobacco will face fines of over $355,000 or up to 15 years imprisonments, and businesses will be slapped with fines of over $1.7 million. They can have their operating licences suspended immediately for 90 days and be blocked from holding a licence for up to five years.
We passed the Criminal Organisations Control Amendment Bill 2024 to crack down on organised crime through strengthening Victoria’s unlawful association scheme, bringing in a new serious crime prevention order and banning the public display of gang colours. Through these laws, identified organised crime groups are banned from entering Victorian Government worksites, ensuring that the construction industry is free from bad actors. And equipping Victoria Police with powers to stop criminal association and preventing other people from joining them in a criminal network.
Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) scheme will also come into effect – this will allow the Chief Commissioner of Police to apply to a court to impose a broad range of conditions on someone who has participated in serious criminal activity. Or, if likely to help another engaging in serious criminal activity.
But, the key difference with our approach, versus those opposite, is simple. Ours works – because it is designed to prevent crime, to reduce recidivism, all while limiting the impact to the community.
That’s why the Andrews Labor Government introduced new scholarships to build expertise in Crime Prevention through a first-of-its-kind graduate certificate in 2023. It focused on key research and effective, evidence-based crime prevention strategies, as well as developing expertise in planning, implementation and evaluation.
In 2022, the Andrews Government introduced an in-built security feature in general-issue number plates to reduce car theft through Directional Security Markings embedded in the surface.
With 430,000 number plates per year from 2022 including all general issue standard car number plates, trailer number plates, Commonwealth Government “Z” number plates and Ministerial number plates including this security measure.
The Major Crime and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 was introduced to strengthen Victoria’s asset confiscation laws, giving authorities greater powers to investigate, seize proceeds of crime and disrupt organised crime on the black market.
And we passed comprehensive laws targeting deepfake porn. That includes related sexual offending, including image-based sexual offences, leading the nation in reform. The maximum penalty for these crimes was increased to three years’ imprisonment, and were upgraded to an indictable offence, with extended protections as an option for victims including the choice to have their identity suppressed.
We have overhauled our road safety camera network to prevent reckless and unsafe driving on Victorian roads following the endorsement of the ‘Inquiry into the increase in Victoria’s 2019 road toll’. And we are progressing work on the new Youth Justice Act to hold serious and repeat young offenders accountable for their behaviour, as well as the Women’s Safety Package to protect women and children from violence – both family and otherwise.
In May, the Government announced the Strengthening Women’s Safety package to change culture and legislation and deliver additional support to victim survivors of family violence.
Since 2016, we’ve invested more than $4 billion and we’ve implemented all 227 recommendations from the Royal Commission into Family Violence, leading the nation in our legislative response to family and sexual violence, and violence against women.
To prevent young offenders from becoming repeat offenders, we have invested over $34 million in crime prevention.
These programs have demonstrated a 29 per cent reduction in offending and a 24 per cent reduction in its severity.
These include Operation Trinity, focused on the south-eastern and eastern suburbs to decrease the number of aggravated burglaries and associated offending predominately enacted by young offenders – leading to over 600 arrests for aggravated burglaries associated with car thefts.
And Operation Alliance has helped dismantle young offender gangs committing crimes in our communities.
Alliance has arrested nearly 430 people and laid more than 4,600 charges through the most recent data provided.
The ability of police members to apply for bail revocation for repeat offenders has been greatened and clarified through legislative change, with any offending, likely offending, or serious breaches of bail conditions justification to make these applications.
So again, I won’t stand here and let the hard-working men and women of the Police that look after Prahran, in my community of Southern Metro, be denigrated.
Our investments have supported VicPol do their job.
That includes over $6.6 million dollars in the 2024/25 State Budget to the Victoria Police to expand the Youth Crime Prevention and Early Intervention Project, reducing rates of re-offending among young people.
And we’re combatting the scourge of knife crime with increased search powers, including specifying through legislation that a machete is a controlled weapon and not to be sold to a person under eighteen years old.
The Control of Weapons Act amendment will allow for police to conduct their searches more easily, more extensively, and in more places such as train stations and shopping centers.
We are bringing in the Justice Legislation Amendment (Anti-vilification and Social Cohesion) Bill 2024 to protect more Victorians from vilification, serious hate speech and conduct, introducing new criminal offences for behaviours such as inciting hatred or threatening physical harm against someone for their identify or faith, and strengthening existing civil protections against vilification and creating more options for remedy seeking and resolution for harm experienced.
As a result of National Cabinet, we’re helping establish a National Database to track antisemitic crime, incidents, and behaviours – something that is incredibly important to the community of Southern Metropolitan Region, which has the largest Jewish population in the country. A community I am proud to represent.
This side of the chamber knows that crime prevention begins with all Victorians having access to safe and fit-for-purpose living conditions, affordable or free education, good services, infrastructure, transport and a great job. That’s why I know the Andrews and Allan Labor Government over the past ten years entire reform agenda has made a difference.
From building 10,000 new social and affordable homes through the Big Housing Build via the September 2024 update, 10,000 new homes fast-tracked for development, 130 reforms to strengthen renters' rights, and our $1 billion dollar investment to build new homes in regional Victoria.
Our expansion of the free TAFE program, with more than 80 Free TAFE qualifications and short courses provided without the cost of tuition fees, even if you already hold a VET qualification or degree.
5,200 new Fee-Free TAFE places available to Victorians from January 2025, including up to 1,300 pre-apprenticeship places.
And we are building homes close to public transport, services, and infrastructure, ensuring that renters and homeowners can live where they can access the essential services that they need.
By improving living standards and quality of life for Victorians across the state, we are enacting one of the most effective prevention strategies for criminal offending.
Our agenda has given Victorians hope.
The Liberals offer nothing.
That is why the Government will be opposing this motion.