Recent serious incidents at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s north have attracted public attention – first, a violent altercation involving machetes, and then a vehicle driven at high speed through the centre itself, narrowly avoiding shoppers and children. Images and commentary have since circulated widely online, often accompanied by typically Aussie humour (see image).
However, for business owners operating in the centre, there’s little to laugh about. These events highlight a broader and more pressing issue: the tangible impact of public policy decisions on local businesses and community safety.
Retail and service-based businesses rely on safe, accessible, and welcoming environments. When shopping areas become associated with crime, anti-social behaviour, or feel unsafe due to the visible presence of drug use, homelessness, or gang activity, foot traffic declines – and so does business confidence. Businesses close down, people lose their livelihoods.
State governments must take seriously their responsibility to ensure public spaces are clean, secure, and supported by adequate infrastructure, including parking. These are not abstract issues; they affect real businesses, real families, and local economies every day.
The ‘Big-Build’ obsessed Victorian State Government of Premier Jacinta Allan has utterly failed the small business community.
Northland or Melbourne CBD or Victoria Street Richmond business owners, in fact all of us, deserve better. Much better.
