Hellbourne car theft capital of Australia

Friday 5 September 2025

If it’s not bolted down in Helbourne, then it’s fair game for the machete gangs.

Insurance claims for stolen cars have exploded in Victoria despite falling in every other state as thieves use cheap and easily accessible gadgets to mimic keyless access and starting technology.

Are these devices only available in Hellbourne? No.

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About the author

David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacific’s leading geo-politics and economics portal. He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review.