Meanwhile, in Victoria: gangland war fears; Sky Rail; Melbourne GP

Weekend street violence pales as fears grow of fresh gangland wars; compo for Sky Rail. But what of the Melbourne GP?

Gangland wars again?

The execution this morning of a former lawyer who has acted for various underworld figures outside a cafe in inner-suburban Brunswick has sparked fears the city could be on the brink of another gangland war.

News of the 3.00am shooting death of Joe Acquaro, whose body was found by a garbage truck driver on the footpath outside a gelato bar and cafe that he owned, have thrust the issue of organised crime back on the agenda.

Police said while Mr Acquaro, a leading figure in Melbourne’s Calabrian community, was known to them, it was not through any illegality on his part.

Mr Acquaro, a father of three adult sons, had served as a lawyer for various underworld identities including Francesco Madafferi, who is currently in jail after being convicted of large-scale drug trafficking. Reports this morning said there was a $200,000 contract out on the head of the 55-year-old lawyer, who had been heavily involved in the Reggio Calabria Club and had been a past president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne.

Apart from the odd firebombing of houses and shots fired there has been little underworld tension since 2010, when the so-called gangland wars ended with the body count standing at 36.

Could that be about to change?

Street riots and Sky Rail

In any case it makes the street violence on Saturday night look a second order issue.

Nonetheless, speaking before the news of Mr Acquaro’s slaying, Premier Daniel Andrews kept up his tough guy act on radio this morning continuing to bat away any suggestion of systemic causes, such as education levels or poverty, playing a role in Saturday’s street riot saying simply offenders chose to break the law and would be punished ruthlessly.

“There are a lot of people with issues and disadvantages in their life and they don’t behave like this,’’ he said on radio this morning.

But he was more accommodating on another issue, the matter of compensation for eastern suburbs residents affected by the government’s cost-saving Sky Rail proposal to elevate sections of rail line between Caulfield and Dandenong removing nine level crossings.

“We are having conversations with each individual affected resident. If we need to compensate anyone and make arrangements on a case-by-case basis, we are open to that,’’ he said.

Not much GP noise

Is it just us or does the build up to Sunday’s Melbourne Formula One Grand Prix feel kind of subdued this year? The sporting calendar gets ever more crowded with soccer, rugby, rugby league, cricket, horse racing, UFC and other sporting events coming and going in a blur.

But the usual hype around Sunday’s race, which is the 20th running in Melbourne, seems unusually subdued. But at least human headline Jeff Kennett, the man who brought the race to Victoria, is doing his bit to drum up some press.

“That’s absolute bullshit,” Kennett said this week in response to suggestions that he stole the race from Adelaide. “They lost it because neither of their political leaders at the time going into their election was prepared to commit to the event.