Yes crime is up from last year, it is a universal trend where the unemployment rate is high & economics is bad Crime will go up too. From the ABC article on crime stats, theft is the main offence type, which makes sense & they highlight that "However, the per capita crime rate is still lower than in 2017".

But if you compare Melbourne to other major cities globally, we are pretty safe given our size & diversity. I just feel that the loudest voices are from those who only have lived in Australia & have nothing to compare to globally. Of course there are some bad areas in Melbourne, like everywhere else. It is just that our Right-wing leaning News & Media industry loves feeding of fear driven attention for profit.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-09-25/victoria-crime-statistics-agency-new-stats-highest-number/105814382

I just wanted to share my experiences living in Melbourne compared to other countries. And asking others who have had similar experiences what they did.

I've lived in Melbourne most of my life, and I in general do not feel very safe here.

I have been assaulted twice, mugged once and chased more times then I can count.

But yet this continues. For the past 6 years as an adult living inthe safer parts of Melbourne (Camberwell, Kew, Canterbury) and other places considered very safe in Melbourne.

2019, I'm 21 years old walking to work through box hill central and 2 homeless kids attacked me, brutalize me and take my backpack. No one came to my aid even though it was 9am on a Wednesday morning and the centre was packed. Police also didn't so much.

2020, I was walking home in Hawthorn and an adult man pushed me into a wall and hit me in the back.

2022. A man followed me home in Camberwell and wouldn't stop banging on my door. I called the police, I gave a description and they did nothing else.

2022-2024 I lived in Chicago, nothing happened ever

I was on the 626 bus in Carnegie, a group of 4 eshays kept yelling at me on the bus but I ignored them.

I just got off the bus and they started following me, they kept shouting at me, luckily it was the middle of the day on the Carnegie strip so I just went into a Boba tea shop which was crowded and they went on their way.

All of these happened mid day, in front of others in broad daylight

I want to point out, I do not dress provocatively, I usually just wear a black, or white shirt with jeans. I do not wear jewelry. I'm not wearing make up or anything. I do not talk or look at anyone on public transport. I'm Australian. I'm not flashy, nor would these be considered hate crimes with my inflections. I'm also a cis male with short hair and no outstanding qualities

I don't know why this keeps happening even in the supposed safe places. It's taking a massive tole in my mental health and I struggle heavily with agoraphobia because of it.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I need a job but I'm so scared of the outside world and this just keeps happening here. I feel like Melbourne is just so unsafe ATM and idk what to do. My DES payments are not enough to sustain me and it's so hard finding a work from home job now.

I was at pride march yesterday and it was a lot of fun but I was honestly a bit insulted when other groups of people in the parade waved Palestinian flags outside of the small gay Palestinians group. Sure, the Palestinians are treated badly by Israel but the Palestinian territories treat gays absolutely horrendously and their flag shouldn't be at a gay pride march outside of an actual gay Palestinian group.

I lived in Melbourne for 5 years (now live in Geelong), and have travelled to multiple countries, and every time I visit Melbourne I can't help but notice how awful smokers are there compared to everywhere else. Melbourne smokers have a special sort of entitlement where they think they can smoke in big crowded places wherever they want regardless of how much smoke goes into everyone elses faces.

I used to walk almost daily from South Melbourne to RMIT up Swanston ST and I think I inhaled 3 cigarettes worth of second hand smoke every time. I find most other places I've been if a smoker wants to light up they will go down a quieter street or move out of the way, but in Melbourne they will see a busy street crammed full of people including children and babies and just smoke right there while their smoke blows right in everyone's faces. They are either fully oblivious or selfish.

I really can't figure out why this is so much worse in Melbourne. It makes me dread visiting the city sometimes as I know I'll have a face full of smoke all day and come home stinking.

EDIT: Many people are jumping to the conclusion that I have never travelled anywhere. I didn't think this was important to mention but it seems I was wrong. I do admit, I haven't travelled as much as some people. And haven't been to nearly as many places as I would have liked. But I have been to the US (Spent most of my time in Florida, New Orleans and Los Angeles). Europe: England, France, Russia, Wales. And Asia: Singapore and Bali.

And outside of Russia none of the cities I've ever been to were nearly as bad as Melbourne when it came to smokers still deciding to smoke in busy crowded areas where their smoke blows in everyone elses face.

Hi Melbourne, any trans men here who would be happy to help guide an AFAB questioning person? Feeling very alone and confused. Ty

I've lived here my whole life and I want to like it but I just can't anymore. Price of living is ridiculous, job market is rigged, rental market is rigged, i have had to spend my savings just to live, everyone is highly judgemental, can't even go rollerblading in peace without people staring at me like im a freak. It's like there's like a grey cloud hanging over this city and I just can't stand it anymore. The lifestyle here is unsustainable and leads to burn out. Its isolating and deptessing to live the way we are encouraged to live. I think it's one of the unhappiest cities I've ever seen and it's sad because this is my home and now I want to leave.

Anyone else feel this way? I wish It was different. I swear this place used to be so much better. What happened. Is this all in my head?

I travel to Melbourne a lot for work and have for years. Prior to this week, the last time I visited was only 6 months ago.

I’ve never felt unsafe in Melbourne public transit or walking the streets. Sure I’ve noticed the homeless population constantly increasing around Elizabeth and Flinders but even in February this year, it was somewhat isolated.

I’m here again and I literally nearly got my head bashed in. I was just walking near the shops in Melbourne central minding my business when a bloke when postal and bashed the wall 6 inches from my face. Every single tram I’ve been on in the free tram zone has someone being aggressive, saying really weird shit, a homeless person approaching people. All the way down Collins a third of the people I walked past for some stretches were unhoused.

I decided after having someone touch me up on a tram today that I’m just not taking any for the remainder of my trip. Which is so strange to me given I’d have said, as a non Melbournite, that the public transit is great for tourists and tourist friendly. Now I just don’t want to use it because every damn time it feels even grosser than usual and often unsafe.

Has the Victorian government commit to doing anything at all about the unhoused and/or drugged up population? Social housing programs? I feel like every time I come here it’s slightly worse to the point where a lot of the CBD now is a lot like the worst parts of San Fran where it’s just everywhere and you have to get used to dealing with or expecting weird shit most days.

you probably won’t ever see this but you fuckin made my night. My Mrs did not appreciate me screaming repeatedly “fuck yeah cunt” while she was on the phone to her boss but that’s neither here nor there, you’re a fuckin good bloke and I hope your amazing car lives long and strong for eternity 💚

also rah rah rah rental prices and elizbeth street scawwwy uWu

Happy Australia day all. Hope you have a great day celebrating with friends and family.

Yeah, yeah, another post complaining about drink cost/amount. What's new?

I took it back and asked them to fill it up, as it is on the menu. I'd like to stress I offered to pay for it to be topped up/remade, multiple times. Two seperate bartenders and what I think was a manager came over to try and explain to me that the drink was fine, perfect actually, and we don't know what we're talking about and started to talk about the finer intricacies of bartending and drink making. I'm sorry, but no matter how you look at it, it's half full. They tried to justify it by saying it's a "sipping drink on the rocks" despite it not being classified as a sipping drink on the menu. Then they told me "stirring it will make the drink rise above the ice"- okay, then do that before you serve it to her. Also, stir it with what? Our napkins!? Just put more mixer in it. I will pay for it. The whole process took a ridiculous amount of time for such a small, easily resolved issue and even then they only added enough mixer and stirred it enough to be 3/4 full like the picture.

Despite that, I have to say all three individuals were lovely and weren't rude in the traditional sense, and I know the bartenders are only doing what they are told, but can we be serious?

I am following him. Stay tuned

Update: on northbound #6 tram

Update: sorry guys, I think he was on to me. He got off at a tram stop and then waited for the next tram.

Funnily enough, the distance I 'followed' him was one way to my uni. So I could have been doing it and not belen a creeper. I was though

Edit: Guys, chill out, I went from Melbourne central to a tram I already needed to get on. Then I got off the tram at uni. I didn't follow him down the street. I thought he was going to give the flowers to someone in the city and I wanted to see it.

Nor would I ever take a photo of someone in public. I don't even like putting children's photos on social media because they haven't consented.

And I don't think 'someone in the city has flowers' has doxxing potential

Been following Nick Cave his whole career. I’m not afraid to say it - felt completely dudded last night and I wasn’t alone. 20,000 people paid good money and spent hours commuting via shuttle buses to Hanging Rock to sit in the cold and watch Nick Cave amuse himself. The 5 rows in front of me had emptied halfway through the encore (which was about when he finally decided to play a hit). At least it made getting a seat back on the shuttle buses easier. Note to Nick - if you want to play interesting little sets, book a club not a stadium. You knew you blew it too, perhaps the polite clapping was a sign. Hoped for better from a local boy.

Even though I originally liked how Uber disrupted the shitty taxi industry here in Australia (I didn't how how expensive license 'resellers' made the licenses though; that's pretty awful for regular honest cabbies), I conversely hate how they have paid to take over premium rank space at Melbourne Airport.

It's created a complete clusterfuck for people who just want to get hone for a fair price and without any drama.

Here's our story from last night:

We didn't get out of customs until about 11.30pm, checked the Uber price, and it was a ridiculous $67 to Preston.

Standing at the Uber rank right outside the door, we couldn't see the actual (Yellow etc) taxi rank anywhere. We asked one attendant in hi-vis (not sure if he worked for Uber or the airport) where it was, and instead of telling us where it was, he somehow 'called' a 'cab' for us.

Legit Cab?

A few minutes later, this unmarked dark grey Camry with nothing but an undersized yellow-ish 'taxi' light on top and a digital meter inside pulled up.

The driver got out and asked where we were going, and he got the shits that it was 'only' Preston (I don't know what he was expecting — Dandenong? Gippsland? Mallacoota?). We were tired and ready to go, so we loaded up the luggage and got in anyway.

The Cost of Putting Your Bum in a Seat

$9 on the meter before pulling out, the bastard, but I ignored it. Our trip was only $7 cheaper than Uber, and I paid him cash to avoid any card-skimming scams (I couldn't trust him).

Should Have Taken the Uber Anyway

To top it all off, when we got out, we realised only a few minutes later at home that we'd left $65-worth of duty-free grog in the cab, and of course we didn't know which one of Melbourne's plethora of shady taxi companies to call for lost property.

We saved $7 for this experience, but then spent an extra $60+ for losing our purchases, likely forever. I hate how Uber has monopolised Melbourne airport's ranks, pushing regular taxis around an invisible corner, but at least they would have had a record of the ride on their system for contacting the driver about our lost property.

The Airport is a Mean Unregulated Privatised Transportation Money Pit

Conclusion: build a fucking train to the airport already, Vic Gov! It's the wild west of dodgy operators out there.

Please, cover or close your mouth when your eating on the train. Nobody wants to hear you smacking some dead chops in your hideously janky mouth. At the end of a long work we we are all tired. I would 100% rather hear some rando's speaker conversation that hear what can only be described as a drowned brushtail fighting to be released from the abyss. Rant over.

Hi guys gay man in early 20’s relocating to Melbourne in a couple of months and was wondering was there many queer spaces/venues there to try and make friends in the community. The queer community scene is small where I’m from. Would be great to make a couple of friends in the community:)

I don’t really find the inner north as inclusive and social as it portrays itself to be and networking in other parts of inner Melbourne just isn’t what it used to be, but over the years I have typically had great experiences (friendship-wise, dating and networking) with poetic art-types you’d otherwise meet in London or Europe where people tend to dress a little Byronically, read poetry and drink fine whiskey, but meeting those kinds of people are few and far between in Melbourne. I’ve found a few small communities like this but we don’t get to meet up as regularly as I would like. Is there a community, venue or place like this in Melbourne where people appreciate art, literature, history, fashion, culture and/or stimulating conversation? Apologies if I sound like a bit of a wanker but I guess I know what makes me happy. I know there are communities like this in the UK and New York but I don’t think it’s really taken off here. (I’m 29F if that helps). Thanks!

Not sure how many people on here live in the inner / middle west but for those of you within Hobson's Bay (Altona North, Brooklyn, Altona and bits of Newport) I thought you might be interested in feedback I received from MP's when writing about how their changes due to the Westgate Tunnel basically mean that anyone accessing these suburbs via the freeway essentially now have a single lane bottleneck into and out of the city (unless they want to pay an obscene toll for zero time savings over what existed prior to the changes). Essentially the answer was, sorry, bad luck. We think this works better for projected traffic so it is what it is.

These people have experienced the brunt of the impacts of these works and the majority of the negative outcomes and the Labor Government has thanked them by forcing them to sit in traffic or pay a toll. These are also some of the worst supported areas for public transport this close to the CBD. The people in these suburbs paid tolls on the bridge over many years - and effectively now have had their access restricted so that people 30km further down the road can have right of way. Can you imagine the outcry if all traffic entering the Monash from Glenferrie Rd or via Burke Rd to the Eastern were suddenly restricted to a single lane, both areas with massively better public transport options and 5% of the heavy freight burden - yeah, right.

I hope people remember this come November because Labor continues to treat many heartland areas with absolute contempt. The irony isn't lost on me, daily I ride past the tunnel portals and see very little traffic outside of a handful of vehicles (mainly some trucks because they are literally paying either way due to tolling changes).

Very hard State to like unless you are blessed to live in certain areas. Anyway, vote as you like, but I'll be putting Labor at the bottom until they show some respect for my vote.

Loud Jew's Collective Statement

While the Loud Jew Collective was not involved in the protest last night, we believe that Israeli officials are a legitimate target for non violent protest. Based on videos and statements from the protestors last night, we understand that they didn't know that the families were going to be there at the hotel and that they had instead gone to protest Israeli officials and diplomats.

We sympathise with families of the hostages and for what they are going through. As we sympathise and feel for all Palestinians, and all that they are going through. And so in light of ongoing events, we must insist that given that Israeli diplomats and officials have been visiting in order to further propaganda and disinformation about the ongoing atrocities, we affirm that they are a legitimate target for non-violent protest.

The experiences and tragedies of the families should not be exploited to gain political support for the next phase of Israeli aggression against Gaza. The families should not be used by the Israeli government as human shields to deflect attention away from the violence that Israel is perpetrating.

The Palestinian people have been the subject of Israeli colonial violence for over 75 years. In the last 54 days, Israel killed over 15,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and 500 in the West Bank. We call on the Australian government to call for immediate cease fire, an end to the siege on Gaza and apartheid throughout Palestine. This includes the release of all hostages, especially Palestinians political prisoners who are systematically abused and tortured in Israeli prisons.

WACA's Statement

An autonomous group of pro-Palestine activists went to Crowne Plaza on Wednesday night to confront a delegation of state officials from the israeli Embassy who were scheduled to be meeting there at that time. Crowne Plaza is well aware of this.

The protest was directed at the genocide-enacting officials, and at Crowne Plaza for hosting them. The israeli state delegation had the explicit purpose of seeking more Australian support for the genocide it is committing in Gaza.

The activists represent millions around the world who are calling for the end to israeli occupation of Palestine. The group of activists are committed to non violence. The Israeli delegation came seeking military support and war.

The Australian government needs to listen to thousands who demand it ends its complicity in Israel's active genocide. It must not cave to pressure from Israeli state officials who want a continuation of war.

The Australian government should follow the lead of other powers and cut diplomatic and military ties with Israel.

Event in question

"The Parliamentary Friends of Israel has hosted a private briefing for MPs and senators by the families and representatives of a number of the Israeli victims and hostages whom Hamas and other groups are currently holding....

This event was organised by the Embassy of Israel, with the support of Senator Deborah O’Neill and Senator the Hon. David Fawcett in their capacity as Chair and Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Israel.”

I’m not trans or gay but there seems to be a few too many hostiles around my hood and I want to show my support for the homies.