Chinese delivery rider’s death in Melbourne ignites safety debate ahead of poll

The killing of a Chinese food delivery rider in Melbourne has renewed safety concerns across the city just weeks ahead of the Victorian state election, where law and order is expected to be a key campaign battleground.

Feng Jianming, a 47-year-old Chinese national from Shaanxi province, worked as a rider for HungryPanda – a UK-headquartered delivery platform catering to the Chinese diaspora across 10 countries, including Australia.

Feng died of stab wounds last Friday night near Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Market after he and another rider confronted a man who was allegedly tampering with their bikes, The Guardian reported. The second rider, 34, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Feng’s wife, Xu Hongfeng, said her husband was the breadwinner for his family in China and that the couple had planned to return permanently once their son married in a few years.

A 51-year-old man was charged on Monday with murder and intentionally causing serious injury. He appeared before Melbourne Magistrates’ Court later that day.

The tragedy has sent shock waves through Melbourne’s gig worker community, prompting calls for state authorities to strengthen worker protections and investigate whether HungryPanda failed to properly assess risks to its workers.

“This devastating, violent death of a delivery worker just doing his job has hit the community hard right across the country,” said Michael Kaine, national secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia (TWU).

“For years, food delivery workers have fought back against HungryPanda’s vicious and appalling tactics to silence workers and prevent them from taking action for fairer and safer work. That must end,” Kaine added.

The incident is not the first fatal encounter involving the platform’s riders in Australia. In 2020, another HungryPanda rider, Chen Xiaojun, was killed in Sydney after being hit by a bus during a delivery. While his family was initially denied statutory workers’ compensation because gig workers were classified as independent contractors, a landmark 2022 tribunal ruling eventually deemed him an employee and awarded compensation. The TWU also said the platform failed to fulfil its obligation to report his death to authorities.

The union further said the company dismissed riders in 2021 and 2023 for protesting against pay cuts during union-organised strikes.

In response to the latest incident, HungryPanda expressed condolences to Feng’s family and friends, pledging to cover travel and funeral costs, arrange Australian entry visas for relatives and provide additional financial aid, according to public broadcaster Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

The company also said it was in talks with Melbourne municipal authorities, the Victorian state government and police to explore a coordinated approach to rider safety.

Victoria’s Labor premier, Ben Carroll, promised to make “whatever changes are necessary” to ensure the safety of gig workers, according to ABC.

“As premier, I will ensure I do everything I can with the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police so that, no matter where you work, no matter where you shop, no matter where you live, you are safe,” Carroll said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, about 178,500 Australians undertook gig platform work over the 12 months to December 2025, with half employed in food and parcel delivery.

An online petition launched on Friday urging WorkSafe Victoria to investigate HungryPanda’s rider policies and safety procedures had collected more than 7,000 signatures by Tuesday.

“If riders fear deductions, repayment demands or account penalties when food is stolen, that financial pressure may encourage them to chase thieves, confront attackers or remain in unsafe situations,” the petition said. “No delivery rider should have to risk their life to recover a stolen meal.”

Feng’s death came as Victoria prepares to vote on November 28, with community safety dominating the campaign.

The state’s opposition Liberal-National Coalition said earlier this year that Victoria was in the grip of a “crime crisis”, citing Productivity Commission findings that 32.5 per cent of Victorians feel unsafe walking alone in their neighbourhood at night – the highest rate across Australian states.

The Coalition has promised to recruit 3,000 additional frontline police officers and reopen more than 40 police stations if elected, according to ABC. Meanwhile, the incumbent Labor government has committed A$10 million (US$7 million) towards a council infrastructure fund to buy CCTV and improved street lighting.

Official data paints a mixed picture: while Victoria’s overall crime rate dipped 3.6 per cent in the year ending June 30, the rate of alleged offender incidents rose 4.6 per cent over the same period, according to the state’s Crime Statistics Agency.