Dear Malcolm, feel free to give me a call

VICTORIAN Premier Daniel Andrews says Malcolm Turnbull has not raised the state’s youth gang problem with him despite the Prime Minister’s public criticism of his handling of the issue.

Mr Andrews yesterday returned from holiday, a week after several incidents involving African teenagers prompted Mr Turnbull and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to speak out.

“I had a number of discussions with him before the end of the year, and whilst I don’t talk about private discussions I have with the PM, I can con- firm for you that despite his recent commentary, he didn’t raise these matters with me,” Mr Andrews said.

“I might be dobbing myself in for a phone call later today, he might feel the need to now raise these matters with me, having felt the need to rubbish Victoria Police, rubbish Melbourne, rubbish Victoria, that’s what he’s been doing.”

Mr Andrews backed police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton’s announcement of a joint taskforce with the African community to tackle the issue.

“We’ve seen some very nasty incidents in recent times,” Mr Andrews said, citing a spate of riots, home invasions, armed robberies, assaults and attacks on police.

“But as someone who proudly lives in Melbourne’s suburbs I am completely confident that Graham Ashton and Victoria Police ... are turning this around.”

Earlier this month, Mr Dutton took to Sydney radio to say people were too scared to go out to dinner at night in Melbourne.

But Mr Andrews said he took his family out for dinner “a number of times” during his break.