Last week I went for a walk to the Pride Centre on Fitzroy Street to look at a photographic exhibition. What a great exhibition, BUT what a disgrace is the Fitzroy Street precinct from Grey Street through to the Esplanade. 

A once proud street now littered with empty shops, graffiti, and a makeshift camp of the “homeless” outside the 7/11 store.  Once part of the St Kilda tourist precinct, is now becoming more like a human Kruger National Park. Drug fuelled people, hurling abusive and threatening language to and intimidating pedestrians that in no way can create an environment for this stretch of the street to ever prosper. One fellow injected substance into his arm right outside the 7/11 as easy as it was to buy an ice cream.  

I dropped in to speak to a friend in one of the remaining businesses in the lower end of Fitzroy Street. The stories they told of violence and drugs that populate Fitzroy Street reminded me of similar stories in the tent cities of Los Angeles and San Franscico. Is that what we have descended to in this street – Melbourne’s first Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco? 

I recall a few years back, the slick marketing and talk by community leaders of the renaissance of the street. And for a blink of the eye, things did look promising irrespective that the council renewal programme at the time was completely flawed. Fast forward to now and what we have is a total disgrace that should never have happened. 

The state government has failed us, council has failed us, the Victorian Police have failed us, our local State member and Ward councillors have all failed us in this regard. They failed because all of them had passed the buck pass - it was someone else’s responsibility, when they should have all recognised that collectively they all had a proactive role to play.

It beckons the question. Is modern day leadership about opening fetes, fairs and taking endless selfies, or is it about building a responsible coalition of good people and making the tough decisions? 

So elected representatives, Mayor, council operatives and police get together, meet and deal with the problem. To those in camp city that have a home, send them home. For those who live across town who travel to St Kilda for their drugs, mischief, or comradery with the rough sleepers, find ways to get court orders restricting their travel into St Kilda.

For those on drug charges or avoiding the court system or in possession, get them into the legal system. For those with mental illness get them to treatment and or accommodation. For those among them who are first nation peoples, get assistance from their Elders. 

Finally double up on our local law’s officers and reinstate rigorous police and local patrols including a one-year police pop up shop fully manned to deal with both Acland and Fitzroy Streets (there are plenty of empty shops to choose from). 

AND WE DO NOT WANT A SHUFFLE OF DECK CHAIRS ON THE FITZROY ST TITANTIC. – Moving the camp out of Fitzroy Street does not lazily mean shifting it to Acland Street.

We want our St Kilda back! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.

One Council in Victoria seems to understand the gravity of lawlessness and has commenced a proactive program to stamp out bad behaviour. Frankston City like St Kilda has had an uptick in drug and alcohol related violence affecting the viability of its retail precinct. To this end the Frankston Council has established a Rapid Response Team to deal with anti-social behaviour. Patrols have been established along key streets to help curb the attacks on retailers and their workforces. The Rapid Response Team also engages in joint patrols with local police.

As one local Frankston retailer said to the Herald Sun:

“A lot of businesses are hanging on by a thread. They were smashed by Covid with lockdowns and curfews and before they had a chance to recover, they’ve been hit again with a cost-of-living crisis.”

“I know some who have sold up and others who are planning to. If we don’t make people feel safe in the city [of Frankston] they won’t spend money there and our businesses won’t survive.”

The issues facing Frankston are similar to St Kilda with our own local retailers. The point of differentiation is that Frankston City Council has commenced a plan to deal with anti-social behaviour. CoPP continues as business as usual- “Nothing to see here!”