Bec Judd Slams Labor After Northland Shopping Centre Machete Brawl

Bec Judd has weighed in on Melbourne’s crime wave with a scathing new Instagram post slamming Victoria’s Labor government. 

The AFL WAG reacted with fury after learning that the ringleaders behind a horrifying machete attack in Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s north this weekend were on bail. 

Alongside a news article with the headline ‘Accused ringleaders of Northland machete brawl were on bail shared to Instagram Stories on Wednesday, Bec commented, ‘Are we surprised. FFS.’

The 42-year-old also shared an interaction with one of her social media followers who asked: ‘How do we sack the Victoria state government?’ 

The famously outspoken fashion designer replied:  ‘It’s pretty simple guys – STOP VOTING FOR THEM. 

‘We have a State Election next year (can we bring it forward?) where every Victorian has the opportunity to show them the door’. 

The mother-of-four, who is married to former Carlton and West Coast superstar Chris Judd, lives in Brighton in Melbourne’s bayside suburbs in $7.4million mansion.

It comes after two teenagers were charged after a violent brawl broke out between rival gang members armed with machetes and forced a shopping centre into lockdown. 

Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have been charged, while another male, 20, was rushed to hospital following the brawl on Sunday at about 2.30pm  at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne’s north.

The teenagers were charged with affray, intentionally causing injury, possessing  a controlled weapon and using a controlled weapon and have been remanded to appear in a children’s court at a later date.

The charges come as Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan held a snap press conference on Monday to announce a machete ban will be expedited.

The ban was initially set to be enforced on September 1, however Allan revealed a ban on the sale of machetes would be enforced from Wednesday. 

‘Those knives are dangerous weapons,’ she said.

‘They have no place on our streets anywhere and that is why I will introduce as many laws to get these dangerous knives off the streets, which is why I’m announcing today that, effective immediately, we will be bringing in place a ban on the sale of machetes here in Victoria, and this ban will be in place from midday on Wednesday.’

Victoria is the first state in Australia to introduce the ban.

Superintendent Kelly Lawson confirmed the attack was not random, saying rival gangs had arranged a meeting at the shopping centre’s food court before the fight broke out.

‘It is said to have been an act of retaliation,’ she said.

Police believe about 10 people were involved.

‘It was a chaotic scene,’ Supt Lawson added.

‘It’s really frightening for members of the public to go through this.’

The centre was locked down during the incident as dozens of police officers responded and shoppers shared updates on social media.

The man taken to hospital is in a stable condition.

Two other males have since self-presented to hospital with injuries.

Supt Lawson said it would not take long to identify all the gang members involved.

One shopper said that saw a wounded young man with a ‘big machete still in his stomach’. 

Bec has been immensely vocal on political issues in her home town of Melbourne in recent years. 

In March, she scolded former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews who she says could’ve saved lives if he fixed Melbourne’s crime scourge while in power.

Judd called Andrews ‘the Dictator’ in a social media post to her 750,000-plus Instagram followers after current premier Jacinta Allan announced the government would implement harsher bail laws.

‘Gee, this aged well,’ Judd posted on Instagram with an accompanying image of a 2022 story in which she warned Melbourne has a crime crisis.

‘Imagine the lives that could’ve been saved. Imagine the terror experienced by so many Victorians that could’ve been stopped if the Dictator had acted when I called this out.

‘Today Jacinta Allan has announced the toughest bail laws in the country. Yes it is too late for so many but it is a start. And mark my words, if the government stuffs this up again, I will continue to let everyone know about it.

‘I am a mum and proud Victorian who just wants my beloved Melbourne to go back to being the best city in the world where everybody feels safe to live their lives peacefully.’

Judd, a successful businesswoman, TV presenter and top tier social media influencer, also proclaimed ‘power to the people’.

Her Instagram post was in response to harsh new bail laws which will see children and adults suspected of serious crimes including home invasion and carjackings kept behind bars. 

Premier Allan announced a raft of changes after it became apparent crime was rampant in the city especially amongst youth offenders who are repeatedly set free from remand almost immediately after being charged with a serious crime. 

She also posted fresh cries for help after two suspects allegedly armed with machetes were recorded entering properties at Black Rock and Kew.

‘The size of the machete. 5am this morning. @jacintaallanmp Victorians are DESPERATE for you to do something about this,’ Judd wrote.

In a second post Judd raised the incident at Kew in Melbourne’s east.

‘And this one also this morning in Kew,’ Judd wrote. ‘Victoria is under attack and our leaders are doing nothing.’

Victoria’s youth crime epidemic hit 23,810 incidents in 2023-2024 – the highest it has been since 2009 and a jump of almost 17 percent on the previous 12 months.

And many of the home invasions, aggravated burglaries, car thefts, assaults, brawls and knife attacks which happen daily occur in Melbourne.

Among recent incidents were five teens including a 13-year-old boy who were arrested and charged after an alleged carjacking and multiple burglaries in Melbourne’s east on February 11.

Police spotted a Range Rover Discovery which had allegedly been stolen from Elwood three days earlier.

The teens allegedly stole cigarettes from a service station and then ditched the Range Rover about 11.15pm before carjacking a Ford Focus after using a knife to threaten the driver.

The boys were all charged with aggravated carjacking, aggravated burglary, theft and aggravated burglary.

Forensic psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the Daily Mail Australia he wanted tougher bail laws in Victoria which are currently ‘just a joke’.

‘Zooming down the Monash doing 150km/h and they’re arrested, bailed and back before court the next day for the same offending,’ Dr Watson-Munro said.

‘Police arrest them and the offenders laugh at them, they say ‘we’ll be back out tomorrow’; it’s an arrogance, it’s lack of respect.

‘People are very worried about aggravated burglaries, parents worry about their own children out at all hours where they can get bashed and stabbed, these crimes even happen in broad daylight.’

The rampant crime in Melbourne, once regarded as Australia’s most liveable city, has taken over news broadcasts are now filled with reports of carjackings, fire bombings and random knife attacks.

But in a sad twist, these horror stories are buried deep within the nightly news broadcasts – a side piece in a city that has become accustomed to rampant, mindless violence.

In the background, angry Melburnians hit social media to vent about the state’s crime wave.

Bec has not only been a flag-bearer for fighting Victoria’s spiralling crime crisis and weak bail laws but has in recent months mingled with prominent right wing politicians. 

In February, she was seen at the LIV Golf tournament in Adelaide, partying with the Victorian deputy Liberal leader Sam Groth.

Also on hand for the fun was Groth’s wife Brittany and influencer Jessie Roberts.