Victoria to ‘immediately' ban machete sales after shopping centre clash

The Guardian

25-05-2025

The sale of machetes will be banned in Victoria from Wednesday, after a clash involving the weapon between alleged rival groups forced Northland shopping centre into lockdown at the weekend.
The premier, Jacinta Allan, on Monday announced the government will use extraordinary powers to fast-track the machete ban, which will remain in place until a permanent law takes effect on 1 September.
Allan described the alleged incident at Northland as 'appalling' and said it was 'unfathomable as to why anyone would want to come in and disrupt families, disrupt retail workers', many of whom were likely young people in part-time jobs.
'It is just unacceptable for this sort of behaviour to be anywhere on any street. But to disrupt people going about their lives on a Sunday afternoon is just unacceptable,' she said.
'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear. 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.'
'We have moved immediately to strengthen the Australian-first machete ban that we have introduced here in Victoria to choke the supply of these dangerous weapons even further.'
Allan said the government first announced plans to ban machetes in March, but at the time, Victoria police advised that a six-month implementation period was the 'safest' and 'quickest' approach.
'It took the United Kingdom 18 months to bring about a ban on machetes,' she said. 'That was not a time frame that was acceptable to the government.'
She said following Sunday's incident, she was briefed on powers available under Commonwealth consumer laws, which allow a state minister to impose an interim ban on the sale of certain goods.
Consumer affairs minister, Nick Staikos, said it was the first time these powers had been used to ban machetes.
'This is actually the first ban of the sale of machetes anywhere in Australia, and it follows the decision by this government to implement the first ban on the possession of machetes anywhere in Australia,' he said.
'We are using whatever powers we have under Australian consumer law to ban the sale and the supply of machetes immediately.'
The interim ban will come into effect from 12pm Wednesday and applies to machetes broadly defined as 'knives with a cutting blade longer than 20cm'. It does not include knives primarily used in kitchens.
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Allan acknowledged it would affect some 'legitimate users' of machetes but said she prioritised community safety above all.
Retailers have been told to remove machetes from shop shelves and store excess stock in a safe location until the amnesty scheme begins on 1 September.
From that date, machetes will be classified as a prohibited weapon in Victoria. Exemptions will be available only for legitimate uses, such as agricultural work.
An amnesty period run from 1 September to 30 November, allowing Victorians to safely surrender machetes at 40 designated police stations across the state without facing penalties.
After the amnesty ends, anyone found in possession of a machete could face up to two years in prison or fines exceeding $47,000.