Storied entertainment reporter Peter Ford has said he has left Melbourne calling out crime as a “big problem” and saying the city has “issues that need to be fixed”.
Ford, a regular on Channel 7 and radio station 3AW, has taken time off to move to the Gold Coast. The TV network has built him a studio so he can continue his work from Queensland.
“Every real estate agent I went to up north said, ‘oh, you’re another one from Melbourne’, so certainly there are things that have prompted that”, he was reported as saying by the Herald Sun.
Ford made the decision to leave Victoria for Queensland six months ago.
At the time he said he was “disgusted” with what was happening in the city after five break-ins at his home.
“For whatever reason, my little area, which was a very lovely suburb, the word has got out that this is a great place to go and shoot up drugs or whatever,” he said in October.
‘Issues need to be fixed’
On Tuesday, he said he was excited for a “bright new sunny chapter”.
But he reiterated that he remained concerned about safety in Melbourne.
“Crime is a big problem in Melbourne and I just hate some things going on.
“I don’t leave with bad vibes, I just think there are issues going on in Melbourne that need to be fixed.
“I don’t want to walk over people to get to Coles.”
He said the one vibrant shopping strip of Chapel Street, in South Yarra and Prahran, south east of Melbourne’s CBD, had gone to “wrack and ruin”.
“You would never see an empty shop on Chapel St and now there’s empty and dirty shop windows everywhere.”
Crime going up in Victoria
Victoria’s Crime Statistics Agency, a government body, reported a 4.2 per cent rise in recorded crime offences in Victoria in 2025 compared to 2024.
Property and deception offences were the largest category of crime – it has risen significantly since 2022. But burglaries in the state are down 4.1 per cent.
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 8500 people left Melbourne in 2024-25. Statistically, that is a tiny amount of the overall population. However that was more than made up for by 81,000 arrivals into Melbourne.
Sydney lost 33,000 residents but gained 78,000 over the same time period.
The Regional Movers Index, a joint report between Commonwealth Bank and the Regional Australia Institute based on CBA’s data set, reveals Queensland is seeing the largest influx, led by the Sunshine Coast as the state’s most popular destination for city escapees.
Other top regional destinations include Greater Geelong, the Fraser Coast, Lake Macquarie, and Moorabool.
Sydney and Melbourne are the major contributors to regional population growth, accounting for 54 per cent and 38 per cent of net outflows, respectively.
“While most city leavers are from Sydney and Melbourne, the other capitals are also seeing outflows,” Regional Australia Institute chief executive Liz Ritchie said earlier this month.
“They might be seeking housing affordability or job opportunities. What hasn’t declined is interest in a regional move.”
