The Victoria Street Pledge
Victorian state election, 28 November 2026 · Electorate of Richmond
Victoria Street is 1.6 km of small, mostly family-run businesses between Hoddle Street and Burnley Street. It is the heart of Melbourne's Vietnamese community and one of the city's best-known food streets. Today more than one in five shopfronts is empty. In July, one deliberately lit fire took about ten businesses off the street in a single night. Council has adopted a four-year Revitalisation Plan and has said plainly that it cannot deliver it alone.
The Victoria Street Business Association, on behalf of the traders of Victoria Street, asks every candidate for Richmond to commit to the five actions below. Each one is already Council's adopted position or the Association's registered priority. Each is a decision only the State Government can make.
We will publish every candidate's response, item by item, in the windows of our members' shops — in English, Chinese and Vietnamese — before early voting opens on 18 November.
As a candidate for Richmond, I commit to:
1. Safety on the street now. A Public Safety Officer trial and a temporary Victoria Police presence in the precinct; police-operated CCTV on Victoria Street between Church and Hoddle Streets and on Lennox Street between Elizabeth and Victoria Streets; State funding to reinstate the CCTV coverage and security-grant programs; and an immediate expansion of outreach services on Lennox Street.
2. Standing with the traders burnt out in July. Direct State financial support for the businesses destroyed or made untenantable by the fire at 409–421 Victoria Street — one criminal act, about ten unrelated family businesses, several uninsured — committed and paid before the caretaker period begins on 3 November.
3. Acting on drug harm. Council's adopted position: relocate the Medically Supervised Injecting Room away from the primary school, homes and businesses, with expanded rehabilitation and recovery services.
4. Bringing people and businesses back. A land-tax waiver for the first three major developments to break ground in the precinct; funding for the North Richmond Community Services Hub business case; and an upgrade of North Richmond Station.
5. Funding the festival and supporting the traders. Ongoing State funding for the Victoria Street Business Association to deliver the Lunar New Year Festival; support for a dedicated Victoria Street coordinator; and a State-led Victoria Street Precinct Revitalisation Board with business representation on it.
| Commit | Partial | Decline | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Safety now | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 2. Burnt-out traders | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 3. Drug harm | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 4. People and businesses back | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
| 5. Festival and traders | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Where you mark "Partial", please attach what you will commit to.
Candidate: ______________________ Party: ______________________
Signature: ______________________ Date: ____ / ____ / 2026
Please return by Friday 10 October 2026 to hello@victoriastreet.org.au or 393 Victoria Street, Abbotsford VIC 3067.
Authorised by Ha Nguyen, Victoria Street Business Association Inc., 393 Victoria Street, Abbotsford VIC 3067.
