Judge Lex Lasry dines out on Peter Dutton gang anxiety

Victorian judge Lex Lasry has mocked Peter ­Dutton’s claim that Melbourne gang violence had made residents too scared to go out.

Sioux Hardiman with her daughter Sam, 16, and dog Timmy in Mansfield yesterday. Ms Hardiman says she is more cautious when she visits Melbourne. Picture: Aaron Francis

Victorian Supreme Court judge Lex Lasry has mocked Peter ­Dutton’s claim that Melbourne’s gang violence had made residents too scared to go out at night, sparking a rebuke from the Home Affairs Minister.

After Mr Dutton made the comments on Sydney radio on Wednesday, Justice Lasry slammed the comments as ill-­informed, and ridiculed the minister on Twitter. “Breaking: there are citizens out to dinner in Mansfield tonight and they’re not worried,” he tweeted on Wednesday evening, referring to the Victorian alpine town he regularly visits.

Mr Dutton hit back, saying “I hope His Honour had time between courses to spare a thought for the young police officer ­assaulted by a gang member last week”, in a reference to a police ­officer allegedly attacked during an arrest on Boxing Day.

While senior Labor MP Anthony Albanese attacked Mr Dutton yesterday for playing politics over the Melbourne gang issue, some residents of Mansfield were not impressed that their town was drawn into the controversy.

Sioux Hardiman and her daughter Sam, 16, said it was unfair to compare Melbourne with the country town, as they finished up dinner and enjoyed a stroll through the park. “You can’t compare them at all. You have 12,000 ratepayers in Mansfield but you can’t compare it to Melbourne — look at the amount of people there, the unemployment and all that,” Ms Hardiman said.

“We don’t travel to Melbourne a lot but when we do we are a lot more cautious, a lot more cautious, especially when we are in the city. Because we’ve seen stuff go on. We have had a couple of ­experiences where we have felt a bit threatened.”

 

On radio, Mr Dutton stood by his comments even as he admitted that he had spoken only to parliamentary colleagues and no constituents on the issue.

He told 3AW urged the Andrews government to get tough.

“The facts that I spoke of yesterday are indisputable. Is anyone seriously saying the people of Victoria aren’t worried about crime and the youth crime taking place?

“The leaders in the African community have called out the actions and it’s not the majority, in fact it’s the minority that are causing great grief to Victorians.”

Victoria Police and the Andrews government this week admitted they were grappling with an African street gang problem, and have attempted to assure residents are tackling the issue. Police and policymakers say the offenders are a very small group but the violent nature of their crimes has eroded a sense of public safety.

Reports emerged yesterday that tennis players at a club in Melbourne’s northwest were forced to call 000 last Thursday when 14 youths armed with a metal rod started hurling abuse and threatening the players.

Essendon Tennis Club yesterday urged members to be vigilant when playing at night and contacted Tennis Australia to spread the message.

Club chairman Rhys Collins said members were rattled and worried for their safety after the altercation, and the club’s gate now would be locked every time someone entered and exited.

“Our guys were down there to have a hit and mucking around on the court when a group of young men approached the fence and were threatening and abusive ­towards them,” he said.

No charges were laid because no one was hurt, Mr Collins said.

Former deputy commissioner Noel Ashby said the incident fed public perception: “It’s not the actuality of the crime, it's the public’s perception of their safety and these are the sorts of events that stop people from feeling safe.”

A Supreme Court spokesman said there was no prescribed social media policy for judges.