Journalist Peter Ford sparks debate as he takes aim at ‘putrid’ Melbourne CBD

Entertainment journalist Peter Ford has sparked debate after conditions in Melbourne’s CBD were labeled ‘spoiled’.

The experienced reporter shared a video on X this week showing damage to a public toilet outside a major train station.

“Back in Melbourne for 48 hours. Much of the CBD is just rotten,” he wrote.

‘This is a public toilet on the footpath outside Flinders Street Station. It is littered with filth and graffiti. I don’t dare look inside.’

Ford, who left town in late April, later added, “I’m a visitor here these days, but do you seriously think I’m the only visitor who walks by and says ‘yuk’? … Fortunately, it’s my observation, not my problem.”

The images sparked a passionate response, with hundreds of comments.

“This is largely representative of much of Melbourne and its suburbs. Like watching an old friend slowly die,” one follower wrote.

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“It feels like people have become numb to it. Sad,” Ford responded

While many agreed with him, others wondered whether a public toilet was the best example of a city in decline.

“Public toilets have looked like this for ten years,” said one response.

“I never knew a public toilet looked different in any city in the world,” said another

In October 2025, Ford said he was fleeing Victoria due to the state’s growing crime problem.

He told Nine podcast Neil Mitchell asks whyhe had given up on Melbourne, saying his own home had been the target of burglary attempts several times.

He moved to the Gold Coast last month.

Victoria’s Bureau of Crime Statistics showed the number of state violations per 100,000 people in 2025 it was at the highest level since 2016.

The number of violations has increased by 4.2 percent compared to 2024.

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