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30 JUNE, 2026

Young agent of change

Farzad Ihaab Ahmad, 17, has been named co-chair of the 2026 Victorian Youth Congress. (Damjan Janevski) 560705_02

While professional politicians are focused on November’s state election, a group of young civic minded students is getting on with the business of uplifting their communities and providing young people with a voice as members of the Victorian Youth Congress. Among them is Sunshine’s Farzad Ihaab Ahmad. Farzad, 17, is the co-chair of the 2026 Victorian Youth Congress, which comprises 20 young people aged 12 to 25. A Year 12 prefect at Haileybury College city campus, Farzad has worked on numerous projects to combat discrimination and celebrate diversity. “Coming from a Bengali heritage and transitioning from a local public school to a prestigious private school, I have witnessed the profound impact culture can have and the hurtful issues that can arise from it,” Farzad said. “I applied for VYC to work toward my goal in achieving a united youth state. The Victorian Youth Congress is the perfect platform to bring my drive to uplift our communities with a stronger voice.” He hopes his selection for the congress will be the next stage in his activism career and open a pathway into law and politics post secondary school.

Crime rate steady By Tara Murray Brimbank criminal offences stayed steady in the 12 months to March, according to new data. The Criminal Statistics Agency released the new data, which showed that criminal offences across the state decreased by 0.2 per cent or 1524 offences in the 12 months to March. This is the first time in four years there has been a drop in crime across the state in four years. In Brimbank, there was an increase of 0.1 per cent or 13 additional offences recorded during the recorded time frame.

Of the 18,8784 incidents in Brimbank, more than half of them remain unsolved. Stealing from a motor vehicle remains the number one criminal offence in Brimbank with an increase in the number of offences from 2775 to 3396 in the 12 months to March. Other theft (1612), breach of family violence (1384), motor vehicle theft (1296) and criminal damage round out the top five offences in Brimbank. Criminal offences in the home decreased in Brimbank in the 12 months to March, but were up in the street, carparks, train stations and in court. St Albans was the top suburb for criminal offences with 4034, up from 3721.

Criminal offences were down in Sunshine, Deer Park and Sunshine North, which are in the top five suburbs for offences, but increased in Taylors Lakes. Family violence incidents dropped 7.7 per cent in Brimbank from 3007 to 2775 in the 12 months to March. It now means family violence incidents per 100,000 people is below the state average in Brimbank. Victoria Police said its analysis suggests it will take some time before crime reduces to levels more traditionally seen in Victoria, with the cost of living, recidivism, organised crime and drugs remaining the main drivers, enabled through the increased use

of technology. Deputy Commissioner Regional Operations Bob Hill said while it’s pleasing to see overall crime slightly decrease, the reality is that overall crime in Victoria still remains far higher than both police and the community would like. “This is why we are absolutely committed to ensuring our highly trained officers are where they are needed most – in the community, patrolling the streets, deterring criminal behaviour and preventing crime,” he said. “This approach is pivotal to achieving Victoria Police’s goal of reducing serious and violent crime by five per cent each year.”

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