Overview

• Hundreds attended a candlelit vigil in Melton, where families pleaded for justice and greater protection for children without calls for revenge.
• Premier Jacinta Allan convened a South Sudanese youth justice working group and said she is open to additional police powers, with advice also sought on Queensland-style weapons wands.
• Chief Commissioner Mike Bush publicly backed Detective Inspector Graham Banks’ call for tougher deterrents for serious youth offending.
• Police say the offenders were armed with long-edged weapons, CCTV captured part of the chase, and the search continues for approximately eight suspects.
• The machete ban that began on September 1 remains in effect with an amnesty, and the premier said nearly 500 blades have been surrendered from about half the bins as inquiries also examine unverified online-meme links to the attack.