The Project's right wring pundit Steve Price slams Victoria's machete ban following brawl that shut down major shopping centre: 'A joke'
Steve Price has responded to the machete sales ban proposed by Jacinta Allen after a brawl broke out at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne.
The Project host, 70, weighed in on the new weapons ruling, which is set to take effect at midday on Wednesday, alongside his panel of co-stars.
'This sales ban is a joke and it's not gonna work,' he outright claimed.
Pointing out a loophole, he added: 'You can buy machetes online anywhere.
'We're the only state that's going to do it so you can simply drive over the border into New South Wales and buy one.'
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It comes after teenagers were charged following a violent brawl that broke out between rival gang members armed with machetes and forced a shopping centre into lockdown (left). Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan (right) held a snap press conference on Monday to announce a machete ban will be expedited
'Or you don't get a machete, you get something else,' Steve's co-host Waleed Aly chimed in.
'We've got to crackdown on possession,' Steve said.
What's more, the Aussie TV personality added that the fining and arresting of people with machetes will only be expedited on September 1.
'Why?' he asked his co-hosts, before adding: 'I don't get what the delay is.'
He went on to blame the 'teen crime crisis' for the recent increase of violence in Victoria.
'I don't know why it's just Melbourne but it's worse here,' he claimed.
'Home invasions, car theft, car jackings,' he listed off, before adding: 'And they're arming themselves with machetes.'
It comes after teenagers were charged following a violent brawl that broke out between rival gang members armed with machetes and forced a shopping centre into lockdown.
Two boys, aged 15 and 16, have been charged, while another male, 20, was rushed to hospital following the brawl on Sunday at about 2.30pm at Northland Shopping Centre in Melbourne's north.
The teenagers were charged with affray, intentionally causing injury, possessing a controlled weapon and using a controlled weapon and have been remanded to appear in a children's court at a later date.
The charges come as Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan held a snap press conference on Monday to announce a machete ban will be expedited.
The ban was initially set to be enforced on September 1, however Allan revealed a ban on the sale of machetes would be enforced from Wednesday.
'Those knives are dangerous weapons,' she said.
'They have no place on our streets anywhere and that is why I will introduce as many laws to get these dangerous knives off the streets, which is why I'm announcing today that, effective immediately, we will be bringing in place a ban on the sale of machetes here in Victoria, and this ban will be in place from midday on Wednesday.'
Victoria is the first state in Australia to introduce the ban.
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