Melbourne Councillor assaulted in ‘shocking’ attack

A theatre mogul has joined a chorus of traders blasting plans for a CBD injecting room with some resorting to weapons to protect themselves.

Theatre mogul David Marriner has blasted the Victorian government’s proposal for a drug injecting room in the CBD, saying he couldn’t think of a “poorer location”.

“Governments don’t think these things through properly,” he said.

“This (decision) has been made by people desperate to find a solution, so you get a situation where they are looking for a quick fix rather than the right fix.”

David Marriner with wife Elaine.

Mr Marriner said the business community did not want to return to the problems that blighted the old City Square, which was notorious for drug dealing.

“(The City Square was) extensively used for drug dealing, and it was clearly unsafe to come into the centre of the city at that point because of the nature of the drug trading and dealing in the area,” Mr Marriner said.

“Ever since, the centre of the city has been revitalised because they made it a safe spot, and people felt safe coming into the city again and enjoying the world of theatre.”

Mr Marriner’s wife Elaine spent much of her spare time volunteering with drug-affected people.

“Nobody more than myself and my wife want to see anything that was possible to assist or improve the wellbeing of anybody who is suffering from drug addiction (be done),” he said.

“We’re very conscious of seeing a safe environment, but more importantly we’re also very keen to see that the community has a role to play in the care and the management of the drug problem that exists today in the city — it’s a serious problem, and living there we experience it every day.”

Mr Marriner said there had been a lack of local consultation.

“There is a very real need to research, investigate and implement good opportunities for returning that person to a drug-free position, but the truth is ... the decision-makers need to engage with the people who live in that area, the businesses that are required to try and trade in those areas,” he said.

Still from CCTV footage of the alleged assault involving Cr Jason Chang.

MELBOURNE COUNCILLOR ATTACKED IN ‘SHOCKING’ ASSAULT

A Melbourne city councillor assaulted by an apparently drug-affected man during a scuffle outside his CBD shop says he doesn’t “feel comfortable” walking the city’s streets.

It comes as a popular city bakery has swapped baguettes for baseball bats in its fight against rising crime.

Cr Jason Chang has warned that a proposed drug-injecting room would only add to Melbourne’s crime crisis.

Cr Chang says he was ­attacked on Thursday night by a man, believed to be high on drugs, who moments earlier had loaded up a bag with alcohol ­before running from his Japanese grocery store, Calia ­Emporium on Lonsdale St.

The incident, caught on CCTV, shows Cr Chang give chase before passers-by helped him to apprehend the thief, who eventually got away. Police are now investigating.

Cr Chang sustained a sprained and swollen arm in the altercation, but was left shaken and “frustrated”.

“Unfortunately we’ve had quite a lot of theft incidents, often linked to people that ­appear to be on drugs,” he said.

“Enough is enough. I’ve got wages to pay and a family to feed. We struggled enough through the pandemic so to get assaulted while trying to run a small business is shocking.”

Since posting online about his ­assault, Cr Chang said he had been “inundated” with business owners and staff saying they had also been targeted by drug-affected people.

“They say it happens every day. They just feel absolutely helpless,” he said.

It’s feared crime rates and anti-social behaviour will skyrocket if a drug-injecting room flagged for Flinders St is given the go-ahead.

“The lives of drug addicts do matter, but what about the lives of traders and people to our city? Do they not matter? Everyone has the right to feel safe,” Cr Chang said.

“Would I bring my three-year-old daughter with me into the city? Not if there was an injecting room, no.

“I don’t feel comfortable walking down the streets.

“There needs to be a big clean-up of our streets. We have a lot of work to do. A safe city is what we need.”

As Melbourne’s CBD grapples to ­rebuild post-COVID, many fear that a drug-injecting facility will turn even more people away from the ­struggling heart of the city.

“Right now, without tourists, office workers and international students, we’re really struggling,” Cr Chang said.

Ratepayers Victoria president Dean Hurlston said Melbourne City Council needed to put the needs of every resident in the CBD first.

“You don’t do that by sticking addiction facilities in the heart of a broken CBD. Employers are spending a fortune trying to lure staff back to the CBD, and the worst thing the City of Melbourne could do is green-light this disastrous proposal,” he said.

“Why the hell are we putting that ahead of the needs of the community, who need to feel safe in the CBD?

“Melbourne City Council needs to get off its backside and become pro-business, rather than pro-social causes.”

Councillor Roshena Campbell, who tabled a motion ­objecting to an injecting room within the CBD, said she had been made aware of a “significant increase” in anti-social behaviour from drug-affected people.

“I am deeply concerned about any measures that would increase that,” she said.

Cr Campbell’s motion will be put to a meeting of councillors on Tuesday.

Flywheel Bakery co-owners Anthony Abazis and Antony Wallace, on Flinders Street have been forced to trade baguettes for baseball bats. Picture: David Caird

BAKERY TRADES BAGUETTES FOR BASEBALL BATS

Flinders St’s Flywheel Bakery doesn’t just have baguettes behind its counter. In a clear indication of the danger on our city’s streets, they also stock baseball bats.

The artisan bakery has only been baking for six weeks but the shop has already been targeted by vandals and aggressive beggars.

Co-owner Antony Wallace said the state government’s proposal for a safe injection room in the former Yooralla building, 100m or so down the street, was “ridiculous”.

“Before COVID-19, there would be one junkie among a thousand corporates, but now it’s a lot more noticeable,” Mr Wallace said.

“We’re trying to bring corporates back to the CBD.”

He said their stretch of Flinders St was “struggling” and if the proposal were to get the green light, it would certainly affect business.

“You’re going to see people bypass Flinders Street station and get off at Parliament station instead.”

Mr Wallace said the pair of baseball bats were there for the safety of staff.

“Hopefully we’ll never use them.”