A Hobsons Bay councillor whose motion calling for action on crime in the local area again failed to win support from her colleagues at Tuesday night’s council meeting, said she won’t give up until it is passed.
Cr Lisa Bentley’s motion on community safety and crime prevention was re-introduced at the August 26 council meeting after being controversially voted down on procedural grounds at the previous meeting on July 29.
At that meeting, Cr Bentley shouted “shame, shame, shame” when her colleagues voted against her attempt to introduce the motion as urgent business.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, Cr Bentley apologised to her colleagues for the outburst before again moving the motion which highlights Hobsons Bay’s 35 per cent increase in crime in the year to March 2025 and calls for more resources such as increased opening hours at Williamstown Police Station, to help bring it down.
“The community in Williamstown are concerned about the reduced hours at Williamstown Police Station, in fact many believe this is exacerbating the crime rate in Hobsons Bay,” said Cr Bentley in moving the motion.
Cr Michael Disbury spoke in support, but Cr Diana Grima said more research was needed to ensure extra resources were allocated appropriately, while Cr Kristin Bishop moved that the motion be deferred, arguing it was different to the version councillors were given beforehand.
The motion to defer was carried with only councillors Bentley and Disbury voting against.
Speaking later to Star Weekly, Cr Bentley called the deferral “a cop out”.
“I sent the amended motion before our meeting last week and they (fellow councillors) were aware of those changes before the meeting,” said Cr Bentley, adding that she would keep moving the motion until it was carried.
Progress on tackling crime was made elsewhere though, with the Hobsons Bay Local Safety Committee holding its first meeting on August 19 since being reinstated earlier this year.
Hobsons Bay mayor Daria Kellander and the Local Area Commander, Inspector Damien Madden, co-chaired the meeting at Altona Police Station which also involved community, business and other government representatives.
The committee will now meet quarterly.
