Richmond Rally: Residents and traders demand ‘injecting room out, out, out’
A peaceful and highly effective ‘Richmond Rally’ organised by the Victoria Street Business Association (VSBA) supported by local residents and community demand the state government that the safety issues and neglect in the area is completely unacceptable.
More than a hundred frustrated local residents and business owners are taking to the streets of Richmond and Abbotsford to demand the Victorian state government improve safety around the North Richmond safe injecting room.
The large group gathered at Jonas St, outside the North Richmond station around 11am Sunday 27/4 –where community members spoke with attendees about the influx of crime and anti-social behaviour in the area.
Attendees, some bearing Australian flags and placards saying “noodles not needles” and “make our streets safe”, were addressed by multiple speakers, including Yarra Council Mayor, community leaders and fellow distressed residents.
Sunday’s demonstration comes after a recent Yarra Council survey revealed almost 50 per cent of residents do not feel safe when out in public at night.
The group began marching down Victoria St toward Williams St about 11.30am as the crowd chanted “injecting room, out, out, out”.
State Liberal Leader Brad Battin also spoke to attendees, addressing Victoria’s current crime rates and the impact it is having on community.
“There are too many places around here that are closed, and it is simply because crime is out of control here in Victoria”, he said
“A priority is to fix our bail system so you don’t continue to see people go into the system and back out, quicker than it takes for the police to do the paperwork to process them”.
“Families don’t want to come to areas like this, they don’t want to come here and support your businesses”.
Independent candidate Anthony Koutoufides later addressed the crowd, declaring “North Richmond is in crisis”.
“Families and children are witnessing flagrant drug use and aggressive behaviour on a daily basis”, he told the crowd.
“The current location of the injecting room has failed, it must be moved to a more appropriate site where help can still be provided. This has been allowed to happen because Labor and the Greens have failed to listen and act”.
The contentious injecting room –a brain child of former premier Daniel Andrews – had become littered with huge amounts of needles and human waste that transformed the area into a “ghetto”.
Further crime statistics since revealed that in 2024 alone, there were almost 12,500 criminal incidents reported in the Yarra Council area – the highest rate since 2015.
