Latest news with #Darebin
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Aussie council's $50,000 move prompts worried dad to scour roads for weeks
An Aussie dad has spent the last few weeks scouring every roadside in his suburb in dreaded anticipation of a new arrival — e-scooters. Matthew Zammit is fighting to keep the controversial mode of transportation off the streets of north Melbourne after the Darebin City Council revealed a $50,000 trial of share hire e-scooters and e-bikes would kick off in June. The decision caused waves when it was announced late last year, just a week after the City of Melbourne voted to ditch the electronic two-wheelers following a string of complaints. At the time, Darebin's then-mayor Susanne Newton told the ABC that despite safety concerns, she believed the benefits of the trial would outweigh the risks, and that she was 'pretty comfortable' with the technology hire companies have in place. However, Zammit disagrees, arguing residents will undoubtedly 'get hurt'. 'You hit a pothole on [an e-scooter] and all the weight is up the back, so it becomes like a lever and just catapults you forward, headfirst into whatever's in front of you,' he told 9News. Since their introduction in Australia in 2018, e-scooters have become a hotly-contested subject due to soaring rates of serious injuries and fatal collisions, including a Perth dad who was recently hit by one as he walked to pick up dinner. He died several days later, on June 3, in hospital. From January, 2020 to April this year, there have been 30 fatalities nationwide, with more than 10 of them being children. Staggering research from the University of Melbourne revealed that one in three e-scooter deaths in the last five years have been children, prompting a plea to parents not to buy the electric scooters for their kids. 'They end up with lots of soft tissue and facial fractures, sometimes half or all of their teeth missing, and unfortunately sometimes really significant head injuries,' Dr Sarah Whitelaw from the Royal Melbourne Hospital said. Earlier this week, Yahoo News published heart-stopping dashcam footage of a Queensland child's very close call after she suddenly swerved in front of a car while riding an e-scooter without a helmet. Driver Emma Ogilvie said the incident left her feeling 'so shaken'. 'She's just lucky I pay attention when I drive and I saw her. It could've been a lot worse, and although it would't have been my fault, I couldn't live with myself if anything else happened,' she told Yahoo. Zammit, a survivor of road trauma, has created a petition to urge Darebin City Council to reverse what he says is an 'expensive and harmful' decision. 'As a result of this road trauma I live with significant disabilities, including an acquired brain injury,' he wrote on the website. 'It has changed the course of my life, and I am startled by the level of brain injury being inflicted on others due to shared e-scooters.' Speaking to 9News, Zammit said the last thing he wants is to see someone else be severely injured or killed while riding an e-scooter on his local streets. 'You see statistics of people seriously injured on roads and you can very easily just see a number, but each one of those serious injuries is a long journey of recovery,' he said. 'And in many cases, you're not going back to what you were. You're not getting back what you had... your life has changed forever.' 🚘 Dashcam captures driver's 'heart attack' e-scooter moment in front of car 🧒 Urgent plea to Aussie parents over deadly e-scooter trend 👀 Little-known road rule could see you lose your licence Darebin's new mayor Kristin Olaris has insisted the council is 'putting safety and accessibility at the centre' of its impending trial, according to 9News. Peter McLean, CEO of Bicycle NSW, told Yahoo there are multiple factors that contribute to e-scooter and e-bike safety, including government regulations, police enforcement and parental responsibility. 'E-scooter sales have been significantly increasing over time and tens of thousands of them are being sold each and every year across Australia,' he said. 'They do provide a significant improvement in autonomous transport and transportation, which is very, very positive. However, we do have to be very, very careful how we use them. 'If you're not riding them correctly then they are extremely dangerous and will undoubtedly injure the user and of course, other road users as well.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Aussie council's $50,000 move prompts worried dad to scour roadsides for weeks
An Aussie dad has spent the last few weeks scouring every roadside in his suburb in dreaded anticipation of a new arrival — e-scooters. Matthew Zammit is fighting to keep the controversial mode of transportation off the streets of north Melbourne after the Darebin City Council revealed a $50,000 trial of share hire e-scooters and e-bikes would kick off in June. The decision caused waves when it was announced late last year, just a week after the City of Melbourne voted to ditch the electronic two-wheelers following a string of complaints. At the time, Darebin's then-mayor Susanne Newton told the ABC that despite safety concerns, she believed the benefits of the trial would outweigh the risks, and that she was 'pretty comfortable' with the technology hire companies have in place. However, Zammit disagrees, arguing residents will undoubtedly 'get hurt'. 'You hit a pothole on [an e-scooter] and all the weight is up the back, so it becomes like a lever and just catapults you forward, headfirst into whatever's in front of you,' he told 9News. Since their introduction in Australia in 2018, e-scooters have become a hotly-contested subject due to soaring rates of serious injuries and fatal collisions, including a Perth dad who was recently hit by one as he walked to pick up dinner. He died several days later, on June 3, in hospital. From January, 2020 to April this year, there have been 30 fatalities nationwide, with more than 10 of them being children. Staggering research from the University of Melbourne revealed that one in three e-scooter deaths in the last five years have been children, prompting a plea to parents not to buy the electric scooters for their kids. 'They end up with lots of soft tissue and facial fractures, sometimes half or all of their teeth missing, and unfortunately sometimes really significant head injuries,' Dr Sarah Whitelaw from the Royal Melbourne Hospital said. Earlier this week, Yahoo News published heart-stopping dashcam footage of a Queensland child's very close call after she suddenly swerved in front of a car while riding an e-scooter without a helmet. Driver Emma Ogilvie said the incident left her feeling 'so shaken'. 'She's just lucky I pay attention when I drive and I saw her. It could've been a lot worse, and although it would't have been my fault, I couldn't live with myself if anything else happened,' she told Yahoo. Zammit, a survivor of road trauma, has created a petition to urge Darebin City Council to reverse what he says is an 'expensive and harmful' decision. 'As a result of this road trauma I live with significant disabilities, including an acquired brain injury,' he wrote on the website. 'It has changed the course of my life, and I am startled by the level of brain injury being inflicted on others due to shared e-scooters.' Speaking to 9News, Zammit said the last thing he wants is to see someone else be severely injured or killed while riding an e-scooter on his local streets. 'You see statistics of people seriously injured on roads and you can very easily just see a number, but each one of those serious injuries is a long journey of recovery,' he said. 'And in many cases, you're not going back to what you were. You're not getting back what you had... your life has changed forever.' 🚘 Dashcam captures driver's 'heart attack' e-scooter moment in front of car 🧒 Urgent plea to Aussie parents over deadly e-scooter trend 👀 Little-known road rule could see you lose your licence Darebin's new mayor Kristin Olaris has insisted the council is 'putting safety and accessibility at the centre' of its impending trial, according to 9News. Peter McLean, CEO of Bicycle NSW, told Yahoo there are multiple factors that contribute to e-scooter and e-bike safety, including government regulations, police enforcement and parental responsibility. 'E-scooter sales have been significantly increasing over time and tens of thousands of them are being sold each and every year across Australia,' he said. 'They do provide a significant improvement in autonomous transport and transportation, which is very, very positive. However, we do have to be very, very careful how we use them. 'If you're not riding them correctly then they are extremely dangerous and will undoubtedly injure the user and of course, other road users as well.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- News.com.au
Two teenagers charged after alleged ‘targeted' attack plunges Northland Shopping Centre into lockdown
Two teenagers have been charged after a violent brawl in a shopping centre in Melbourne's north, which left one person injured and plunged the entire shopping centre into lockdown. Northland Shopping Centre was sent into lockdown at about 2.30pm Sunday, after reports of up to 10 people fighting, some armed with knives and machetes. A 20-year-old man was seriously injured in the incident and taken to hospital, where he remains in a stable condition. 'Two other males, one with injuries, have since self-presented to hospital,' a Victoria Police statement read. A 16-year-old Darebin boy and a 15-year-old Melton boy were arrested at the scene. They have both since been charged with affray, intentionally cause injury, possess controlled weapon and use controlled weapon. The two teenagers have been remanded to appear at a children's court at a later date. The incident sparked chaos at the shopping centre, with customers hiding inside shops while police stormed the centre. While investigations are ongoing, police believe the fight was targeted and those involved were known to each other. Victoria Police Superintendent Kelly Lawson told the Herald Sun the brawl was 'not a random attack' and was possibly intended as 'an act of retaliation'. '(This was) a fight between two rival gangs occurred in the food court,' she said. 'It was a planned event, they had prearranged to meet here. 'It's happened in a busy shopping centre, so there clearly was a risk to the public, there's always a risk to the public.' Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the 'targeted' incident, labelling it as 'appalling'. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first,' she said in a statement. What we have seen at Northland Shopping Centre this afternoon is appalling and I condemn it. 'I want to thank Victoria Police, our first responders and the shop owners, staff and the public who were all incredibly brave responding to this incident. 'Victoria Police has (alleged) this was a targeted attack and have taken two people into custody.'
ABC News
25-05-2025
- ABC News
Witnesses describe shock after machete attack at Melbourne's Northland Shopping Centre
Frightened shoppers and workers have described the moment a violent brawl between members of "rival gangs", some of whom were wielding machetes, broke out in a Melbourne shopping centre. A 20-year-old man suffered serious injuries and is in a stable condition in hospital. Two other males, one with injuries, have since self-presented to hospital. A 16-year-old Darebin boy and a 15-year-old Melton boy were arrested at the scene and have been charged with affray, intentionally causing injury and possession and use of a controlled weapon. Ali Ozeer said he was closing up his cafe in the food court when he heard screaming. He said he saw a group of males being chased by another holding a knife, and then witnessed one man getting attacked. Mr Ozeer said the shopping centre was usually calm on a Sunday. "It's a safe spot for a lot of people," he said. "We have a beautiful community here, and unfortunately something keeps going wrong." Julie Bolton said she was watching a movie when the cinema was evacuated. "The lights came on and the movie just shut down," she said. "[I'm] pretty shocked, really it's not right, it's not fair." Vea Chainet said she was working at a shop near the entrance of the centre when people started rushing into her store. "I just see people rushing into my store, telling me to lock the doors," she said. Abdusalam Abdurahman said he also worked at the shopping centre and saw a male in a headlock on the ground from the second floor. "We were told to evacuate, we heard the sirens go off," he said. "I didn't know what to think at the start, it's happening so quick." Victoria Police say the brawl began about 2:30pm and that about ten males were involved. They said the males belonged to two "rival gangs" and that the brawl was motivated by "retaliation". Police said they were conducting reassurance patrols at the shopping centre. The attack has brought Victoria's move to ban machetes into focus. While the Victorian government is making moves to outlaw the weapon, Opposition Leader Brad Battin said the ban should be "immediate". In a statement, Premier Jacinta Allan condemned the "appalling" attack. "I want to thank Victoria Police, our first responders and the shop owners, staff and the public who were all incredibly brave responding to this incident," she said.
