‘Read the room’: AFL great calls out Premier on crime in Victoria

An Aussie rules legend said Jacinta Allan’s decision to weigh in on an incident with an AFL player was “bizarre” while the state grapples with a crime wave.

An Aussie rules legend has called out the Victorian Premier’s for weighing into debate on Noah Balta’s playing eligibility, saying she should “read the room” as Melbourne grapples with a crime wave.

Jacinta Allan last week urged the AFL and Richmond to explain how Balta is available for selection despite pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

She described footage of the Balta incident, which unfolded outside the Mulwala Water Ski Club in regional NSW, as “sickening”.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. Picture: David Crosling

Speaking on SEN on Friday, premiership winner David King questioned why Ms Allan was focusing on Balta when “we’ve got half the state getting broken into at the moment”.

“I’ve never seen as many machete-carrying, weapon-bearing people out on bail just attacking us left right and centre,” he said.

“And she’s decided to pick on the Noah Balta situation. I think she’s got more on her hands. Control the controllables … I just think that’s bizarre.

“What the hell are you doing raring your head up on this?

“I can’t believe it. She makes a good point on the Noah Balta stuff but gee whiz, Jacinta, read the room.”

AFL great David King. Picture: Michael Dodge/Getty Images

Noah Balta is due to be sentenced later this month. Picture: David Crosling

It comes as data shows an explosion of crime rates across Victoria and the country.

Figures from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency show sharp rises in crimes including stealing cars, home burglaries and aggravated robberies in Vitoria over the past two years.

Ms Allan’s government in March passed new bail laws described as the “toughest in Australia” after a public outcry on crime rates, particularly youth crime.

The bill raised high-harm offences like aggravated burglary, home invasion, carjacking and armed robbery to the toughest bail test, making the granting of bail less likely.

Police in Melbourne have been targeting youth crime.

“I have listened to victims of crime and Victorians, and I have acted. These are the toughest bail laws in the country – putting community safety above all and delivering consequences for those who break the law,” she said at the time.

“These laws send the strongest possible message to offenders – clean your act up or face the consequences.”

Sky News commentator Andrew Bolt last month said perceptions over youth crime in Victoria could even become a “problem” for the federal government in its re-election bid.

The issue of rising crime rates was not just isolated to Victoria, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

There were more than 1.3 million crime victimisations in the country in the 12 months to June 2024, up almost nine per cent on the previous year.

Car thefts have been on the rise across Australia.

Some of the biggest movers were motor vehicle theft – up 31 per cent to 72,000 incidents – and break-ins, which rose 17.4 per cent to 217,000.

William Milne, ABS head of crime statistics, noted that the proportion of Australian homes that were broken into rose from 1.8 per cent in 2022-23 to 2.1 per cent in 2023-24.

“This was an extra 32,000 households, bringing the total number up to 218,000 in 2023-24.”

Mr Milne said that personal crimes, rates of physical and threatened assault, sexual assault and robbery, all stayed the same between 2022-23 and 2023-24.