There was a time when Melbourne prided itself on being the most liveable city in the world, tolerant, thoughtful, creative and diverse. We wore that badge with pride and spoke of it often with confidence, not arrogance. Ours was a city in which ideas, not ideology, competed. Where people could disagree without despising each other. But somewhere along the way, and particularly since the COVID lockdowns, Melbourne has lost its way.

It’s a difficult truth to confront, but it’s one we must. The pandemic demanded leadership, but in hindsight it also took something from us: our collective empathy, our civic spirit and our tolerance for dissent.

Police form a line between opposing groups of protesters in Melbourne’s CBD on Sunday.Credit: Paul Jeffers

Many supported Melbourne’s long lockdowns at the time, believing we were protecting our health system and by extension one another. But as the years have passed, their unintended consequences have become impossible to ignore. The mental scars, the fractured trust and the polarisation they seeded continue to be the lasting legacy of Daniel Andrews.

Melbourne now feels angrier, edgier, more brittle. We’ve gone from a community that not only valued difference but celebrated it, to one that too often condemns it. We are quick to label, slow to listen and far more inclined to shout someone down rather than hear them out. The city’s streets have become battlegrounds for outrage. Every week seems to bring another protest that descends into confrontation. What used to be the free expression........

© The Age