Cranbourne Chamber of Commerce President, Ian Wood, is trying to arrest a worrying trend of violent youth crime in southeastern Melbourne by getting community members together to talk about it—but it hasn’t been easy.
In a state parliament sitting week dominated by Victorian Liberal MPs repeatedly calling current bail laws weak, Wood shares this frustration—he just wants his fellow residents to feel safe.
City of Casey has been in the news for the wrong reasons in recent weeks, with two brawling gangs fighting pool users, as well as a machete-wielding intruder breaking into a Cranbourne West family home while they slept at night, before he fled in the homeowner’s Holden ute.
Adding to Wood’s frustration is the fact he ran for the Quarters Ward councillor position with a strong message to reduce crime in last year’s local elections, but was narrowly defeated by Carolyn Eaves, who prevailed 3,092 votes to 2,799.
“I was the only candidate to tackle this issue, and I put out a plan. But I wasn’t voted in,” Wood told The Epoch Times.
“You need to talk to the local politicians—council, state, and maybe federal ... and the relevant communities involved in these brawls, the politicians, the police [to] sit down and see if you can come up with some sort of solution.”
On Feb. 2, police responded to reports of a physical altercation at Casey RACE in Cranbourne East.
It was reported to police that a group of teenagers were seen attacking people at a public swimming pool. There were no reported injuries.
But just two weeks earlier, a group of eight youths assaulted a 19-year-old lifeguard at Casey ARC, another aquatic centre in the area.
Wood said the two poolside brawls were particularly disturbing because of the malicious intent shown after the youths went after pool users.
“It was going on before. I’ve seen nasty incidents, but not to that extent. There was [the first brawl] at Casey ARC a couple of weeks before, which was more disturbing,” he said.
“A lifeguard was jumped on by a group and hospitalised. And now this on Sunday.
“I was due to be there just afterwards, actually. I’m a member there and I was going to go in. But I decided because it was a hot day I’d stay away. I’m glad I didn’t, because I wouldn’t have wanted to see that.”
Wood said there were not any racial motives for the brawls.
“We can’t tarnish everybody with the same brush. You’ve got to engage with these communities,” he said.
Heated Debate Over Bail Laws
This week, debate over the current Victorian bail laws has been heated in the first state sitting week of 2025.Shadow Attorney General Michael O’Brien introduced a Bill to amend the Bail Act of 1977, in order to re-enact certain repealed provisions, including committing an indictable offence while on bail.
Labor and the Greens voted it down on Feb. 6.
“I think Victorians have had enough of a government that is weak on crime,” Shadow Police Minister David Southwick said in parliament.
“There is absolutely no focus from this government to consider anything about strengthening bail laws, to be tough on crime and to ensure there are consequences for those that commit serious crimes in Victoria.”
This was after Premier Jacinta Allan ordered a review of her state’s bail laws, as the opposition and Aboriginal law advocates claimed it was a panicked action before the Werribee by-election on Feb. 8.
“Crime hurts working people and their families, particularly families that work so hard for what they’ve got … It’s simply unacceptable to me that many Victorians, particularly women and children, aren’t feeling as safe as they should,” she said.
“It’s clear to me that we need to go further.”
The Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS) was critical of Allan’s announcement, calling it a “premature” review into the state’s bail reforms this week.
“[The bail laws review] is proof that her government cares more about polling numbers than keeping our communities safe,” Nerita Waight, CEO of VALS, said in a statement.
“Only 10 months ago, Victoria’s bail reforms came into effect. These reforms were the result of extensive advocacy from Aboriginal communities, legal experts, and the family of Veronica Marie Nelson following her tragic death in custody in 2020.”
‘No One Seems Interested in Fighting Crime’
Wood is also frustrated at what he believes is no urgency to fight crime in the City of Casey district.“I’ve found one councillor out of 12 who might care about it. But nobody else seems to care,” he said.
Wood has lost count of the crimes he has witnessed.
“I run a small business and I’m president of the Chamber of Commerce. I’ve seen so many incidents. [If I talk about them all] I’ll have you on the phone for half an hour,” he said.
Local small business owners have shared their frustrations with Wood.
“[They have] feedback that I don’t even want to go into,” he said.
Despite the fear that has swept through his community, Wood has faith in Victorian Liberal leader Brad Battin to make changes.
Battin is the Liberal state member for Berwick, an area that the City of Casey covers, and has vowed to continue fighting for stronger bail laws.
“We’ve got Brad Battin as the local member for Berwick, so who wouldn’t support the Liberal Party at the moment?” Wood said. “It’s got to be a better alternative than this.”
The Epoch Times contacted the City of Casey for comment.
