Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she would keep introducing new laws to crackdown on knife crime if she has to. Photo: AAP Image/Con Chronis
The Victorian Government’s ban on the sale of machetes has come in to force.
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From noon on Wednesday, May 28, retailers may face criminal charges if caught selling the weapon, which the government has defined as a cutting edge knife with a blade of more than 20cm.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said that, in Victoria, community safety comes first.
“We must never let places we meet become places we fear,” she said.
“I hate these knives, and I will keep introducing as many laws as it takes to get them off our streets, out of our shops and out of our lives.”
State Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy has slammed the government’s ban, calling for further action to reform Victoria’s bail laws.
“Banning the sale of machetes doesn’t address the core issue. It’s a band-aid solution that leaves dangerous weapons on our streets and violent offenders free to roam,” Mr McCurdy said.
“We need real reform – a ban on machete possession and tougher bail laws that hold offenders accountable and put community safety first.”
Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy has criticised the government’s recent ban on machetes.
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From September 1 this year, a machete will be defined as a prohibited weapon, the possession of which is illegal in Victoria.
Possession of such a weapon carries a penalty of up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of at least $47,000.
The Victorian Government will hold an amnesty period from September 1 to November 30, during which time people may dispose of their machetes safely and legally.
In March, the Victorian Government introduced what it touted as the nation’s ‘toughest bail laws ever’ as part of reforms to how convicted criminals were processed in the state’s judicial system.
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