‘Weekly basis': Lawyer reveals why young people are still carrying knives, despite harsher laws
Harsher penalties will do little to curb the spike in youth knife crime unless the underlying reasons why they are being carried are addressed, a leading criminal lawyer has declared.
Astor Legal principal lawyer
Avinash Singh
said he deals with people charged with knife offences on a weekly basis, with many also involved in the illegal drug trade.
'We have represented a number of minors accused of carrying knives – generally from lower socio-economic areas carrying knives for self-defence,' Mr Singh told NewsWire.
'Unfortunately, a lot of these young people have been assaulted and/or threatened themselves. 'They feel that reporting the matter to police after the fact will do them little good, particularly if they are seriously injured or even killed,' he said.
'As such, they often feel that they have to carry a knife to protect themselves.'
The hard truth then, is that harsher crimes may not reduce offending, or make the community any safer, Mr Singh said.
'While it is understandable that governments and the community demand tougher laws to combat knife crime, this is unlikely to do much to reduce it in my opinion,' he said.
'People who carry knives are unlikely to stop just because of increased penalties.
'Research has found that they stop when they are no longer exposed to an environment where carrying a knife is seen as a necessity,' he said.
'This means addressing these communities by providing resources, programs and funding to prevent the issue – something governments have continuously failed to do.'
The Victorian Allan Government
announced in May it will be introducing laws to ban the sale and possession of machetes following an alleged spate of machete assaults.
From September 1, those carrying a 'controlled weapon' or knife in Victoria will face up to two years imprisonment or a fine of $30,700.
'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,' Premier Jacinta Allan 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.'
Those found guilty in NSW face four years imprisonment fines up to $4,400.
Mr Singh said he feared 'the expanded search powers will disproportionately be used against young people from lower socio-economic areas'.
'This leads to distrust of police and can in fact have the opposite effect – that is, young people keep knives but simply avoid police and are less likely to report crimes'.
He said this is already seen in the rising amount of NSW youth caught up in the criminal system following legislation changes and bail reform.
'The strictest knife crime laws at present are in NSW. While the laws have only recently been introduced, there has been a noticeable increase in the courts seeing knife offences,' Mr Singh said.
'This, along with recent Bail Act reforms in NSW, has led to a marked increase in children being refused bail and held in custody, which does nothing to address their behaviour or promote rehabilitation of offenders.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Perth Now
Scomo tops list for ‘highest honour'
Former Covid prime minister Scott Morrison has been given the top King's Birthday honour of an Companion of the Order of Australia for his work Mr Morrison was given the honour in recognition of his 'eminent service' to the people and Australian parliament, noting his contributions to his 'leadership of the national Covid-19 response,' his economic initiatives and his work on national security, 'especially through leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS'. Reflecting on the challenges during his term as Australia's 30th prime minister from 2018 to 2022, he said Australians responded with 'trademark courage and a care for their country and one another'. He also highlighted China's increasingly aggressive defence posture during this period, during this period, which included the encroachment of Chinese jet fighters on the Taiwan Strait's median line in March 2019. 'During this time Australia faced challenges and threats not experienced since the Second World War,' he said in a statement. 'These ranged from unrelenting natural disasters and a once in a century global pandemic and the recession it caused, to coercion and intimidation designed to threaten our support for a free and open Indo-Pacific, a world order that favours freedom and our strong bond with allies and partners.' Scott Morrison was given the top accolade in the 2025 King's Birthday Honours. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia His statement also paid tribute to his parliamentary colleagues, state premiers, chief territory ministers, as well as Josh Frydenberg and Michael McCormack who respectively served as treasurer and Nationals leader during his term. While at times divisive, Mr Morrison's prime ministership was marred in controversy after it was revealed he secretly awarded himself the portfolios for health, finance, home affairs, treasury, and industry, science, energy and resources. His unpopularity as prime minister also resulted in what was then the 'most serious' election loss for the Liberal Party, with the party losing six of its inner metropolitan seats to teal independents. Baz Luhrmann – Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) One of Australia's most beloved Hollywood exports, Baz Luhrmann's prodigious film and theatre career is well-documented. His repertoire spans the Oscar-winning 2001 film Moulin Rouge! the third of his highly-aclaimed Red Curtain Triology which also includes Romeo + Juliet and Strictly Ballroom. His latest major work was the 2022 film Elvis which explored Elvis Presley's relationship with his manager Colonel Tom Parker and starred Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. His partner, Catherine Martin – a famed production designer – was also award a AC. Hailing from Herons Creek, a tiny town on NSW's North Coast about 291km from Sydney, Luhrmann paid tribute to his humble beginnings, and the arts community at large. 'My personal journey from a small, rural town to the world stage would not have been possible but for those who came before having the vision to support the arts, allowing us to reflect our stories back to ourselves and participate in global culture as Australians,' he said. 'Catherine Martin and I feel this honour recognises not just us, but those who have made access to the arts possible for every Australian.' Catherine Martin – Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) Hailing from Lindfield in Sydney's upper north shore, renowned costume designer, production designer and set designer Catherine Martin is behind her husbands box-office hits. She currently holds the record for the most Academy Awards held by any Australia (four), winning both best costume design and best production design for her work on The Great Gatsby (2013), and Moulin Rouge! (2001). Speaking about her latest accolade, which sits alongside four Academy Awards, a host of Baftas and a Tony, Martin said she was humbled by her AC in eminent service to the arts, to costume, production and set design, and to fostering emerging artistic talent. 'I am so honoured to be joining the ranks of so many illustrious Australians, whom I have admired and been inspired by,' she said. 'Being recognised in your home country is especially meaningful.' Outside of film, she's held executive producer and costume and production design credits on television series Faraway Downs and The Get Down. Martin also dipped her toe into filmmaking, recently launching her collaboration with Italian fashion powerhouse Miu Miu. The project showcased the brand's Upcycled capsule collection which reworks vintage dresses from the brand. Roger Byard – Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) While South Australian forensic pathologist Roger Byard has shared his expertise on headline-grabbing events like the Bali bombings, the Boxing Day tsunami and the Snowtown murders, he says the biggest impact of his profession can happen outside the mortuary. Currently a senior specialist forensic pathologist with Forensic Science SA, a role he's held since 2006, and the Emeritus Professor of Pathology at the School of Biomedicine, Prof Byard said he wants to use the knowledge found in the mortuary into public education and health and social policy. 'To do good forensic pathology, you have to have curiosity, but I think it has to be the foundation has to be compassion, so that you can actually do something with this information,' he said. 'A lot of people in forensics will just document something. They won't actually act on it and look at prevention. 'In forensic pathology we see cases that bypass the hospital, so we've got information that's extremely useful.' Roger Byard (forensic pathologist). Australian of the year Credit: Supplied His area of expertise however is in pediatrics and SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome – and determining the risk factors, and causes for the rare but tragic event which affects about 0.3 deaths per 1000 live births. Showing the link between forensic pathology and social issues, he points to his work in amending legislation to create an Australian standard for cots to prevent instances of babies suffocating. 'There was a British pathologist who called said that SIDS is in danger of becoming a diagnostic dustbin if people don't investigate the cases properly, and a lot of unsafe cots where babies were suffocating, those deaths were being called SIDS,' he said. 'People weren't realising how dangerous the cots were.' Nicole Livingstone – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) From Olympic medallist to presenter and now senior sports administrator, Nicole Livingstone has been honoured for her 'distinguished service to sports development and administration, to the promotion of women in sport, and to community health'. The mum-of-three participated in three Olympic Games including Seoul in 1988, Barcelona 1992, and finally Atlanta 1996, competing in a total of 11 events. She holds a bronze Olympic medal for the 200m backstroke, a bronze medal for the 4 x 200m freestyle relay, and a silver medal by the 4 x 100m silver medal. After retiring from professional swimming in 1996, Livingstone segued into presenting before becoming the general manager for the Women's Football at the AFL in 2017, where she was credited with expanding the game and growing the presence of the AFLW. Speaking to Domain in 2021, Livingstone reflected on the growth of women in sport. 'There's a lot more choice for women in this country now than in the 1990s,' she said. 'But you have to remember that during the 2000 Olympic Games, Friends was knocked off air to put swimming on TV and they had 1 million people watching. It was the time before pay-TV and the nation was glued.' Under her tenure, the AFLW became the largest employers of female athletes in Australia, and expanded the teams from eight to 18. Since 2024, Livingstone has served as the chief executive of the Victorian Institute of Sport. Naguib 'Nick' Kaldas – Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) The former NSW Police Force commissioner was one of the three commissioners behind the Royal Commission in Defence and Veteran Suicide, a role he undertook with James Douglas KC and Peggy Brown. Mr Kaldas has also held roles with the United Nations, including chief of investigations with the UN's probe into the use of chemical weapons in Syria in 2016, and the same role in the organisation's Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He was awarded the AO for his 'distinguished service to international and transnational law enforcement, to counter-terrorism leadership, to multiculturalism, and to veterans.' Sobering findings from the royal commission revealed 1677 serving and former Defence Force members died of suicide between 1997 and 2021, with that figure 20 times more than the number of members who were killed in action or during military exercises. The government has agreed in principle to implementing 104 of the 122 recommendations from the report, and noted an additional 17 for further consideration. Nick Kaldas handed down the final report on the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide in September last year. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia Speaking at the ceremonial closing of the royal commission, Mr Kaldas urged the government and the Defence Force to 'recognise and admit' to the 'unacceptable behaviour' unearthed by the probe, which include rampant sexual abuse and inadequate support given to veterans and unfair delays taken to process claims lodged with the Department of Veterans' Affairs. He said systems had 'failed' many veterans over many years, stating 'our nation remains indebted to them and that debt must be now be repaid'. 'Vigilance must be maintained, and no one should take their foot off the pedal in the reform process once the Royal Commission ceases to exist,' he said. 'And so, we call on this government and succeeding governments to finally take the courageous step of overruling bureaucratic inertia and do what is needed, what is necessary and what is right'. Julie-Ann Finney – Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) An instrumental and relentless voice in calling for the Royal Commission in Defence and Veteran Suicide, which was released last year, Julie-Ann Finney's advocacy came from tragedy. The South Australian woman began campaigning for change in the military system after she lost her 38-year-old David to suicide in 2019. Ms Finney paid tribute to her late son and defence families nationwide who have lost a loved one. 'I did wish that he was here to get it. I really don't feel like this is my award,' she said. 'I feel like this award belongs to everybody who served or serves, and all of the voiceless and their families who are fighting for them. 'This has been such a huge fight, and usually if I something happens with me I don't talk about it but I have decided that this one, I'm going to stand on, because we still need so much change.' Julie-Ann Finney paid tribute to the families of defence force member who have lost a loved one. NewsWire/ Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia While she wasn't sure of the logistics, Ms Finney said she had plans of sharing the award with the defence community. 'I don't know how this works, but I'm going to hope that when we get the change that we need, that this award can go to the war memorial to say thank you to all who have served this nation, be they here or not, and their families who have supported them.' Deborah Hutton – Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) A familiar face on television screens, Deborah Hutton followed a decade-plus career at the Australian Women's Weekly to becoming a fixture on programs like Amazing Homes and Location Location. She's since parlayed her platform to raising awareness for skin cancer prevention s following two significant skin cancer removal surgeries, taking on ambassadorships for Chick Check Champions, The Skin Hospital, The Skin Health Institute and Lions Australia's Skin Cancer Screening and Awareness Program. Deb Hutton underwent surgery to remove to skin cancers from her face in 2020. Picture Instagram Credit: Supplied The viral photo spurred on her passion for advocacy on skin cancer awareness. Credit: News Corp Australia, NewsWire/ Damian Shaw Photos of Hutton's 'pretty brutal' recovery following the removal of two Basal Cell Carcinomas (BCC) from her face went viral in 2020, however she says the prevenance of the recent tan lines trend was proof of the need for continued advocacy. 'I was like: 'Are you kidding me'? Hutton said, exasperated. 'This is the message that I want these young people to listen to: You are literally investing in having a potentially really dangerous future with your skin. Three out of four Aussies are 100 per cent going to get some form of skin cancer in their lifetime. That's the stat'. Hutton said her message was about having a 'better relationship with the sun'. She also wanted to use her profile to raise more awareness for programs which operate mobile skin check buses and trucks to ensure Aussies in rural and regional areas can access free appointments. 'This is critical because these are areas where they have so little access to get their skin checked,' she said. 'We need more we need more light on these amazing organisations that are doing this, that are putting money behind these mobile units because it's very challenging in some of these areas.'
West Australian
7 hours ago
- West Australian
‘Weekly basis': Lawyer reveals why young people are still carrying knives, despite harsher laws
Harsher penalties will do little to curb the spike in youth knife crime unless the underlying reasons why they are being carried are addressed, a leading criminal lawyer has declared. Astor Legal principal lawyer Avinash Singh said he deals with people charged with knife offences on a weekly basis, with many also involved in the illegal drug trade. 'We have represented a number of minors accused of carrying knives – generally from lower socio-economic areas carrying knives for self-defence,' Mr Singh told NewsWire. 'Unfortunately, a lot of these young people have been assaulted and/or threatened themselves. 'They feel that reporting the matter to police after the fact will do them little good, particularly if they are seriously injured or even killed,' he said. 'As such, they often feel that they have to carry a knife to protect themselves.' The hard truth then, is that harsher crimes may not reduce offending, or make the community any safer, Mr Singh said. 'While it is understandable that governments and the community demand tougher laws to combat knife crime, this is unlikely to do much to reduce it in my opinion,' he said. 'People who carry knives are unlikely to stop just because of increased penalties. 'Research has found that they stop when they are no longer exposed to an environment where carrying a knife is seen as a necessity,' he said. 'This means addressing these communities by providing resources, programs and funding to prevent the issue – something governments have continuously failed to do.' The Victorian Allan Government announced in May it will be introducing laws to ban the sale and possession of machetes following an alleged spate of machete assaults. From September 1, those carrying a 'controlled weapon' or knife in Victoria will face up to two years imprisonment or a fine of $30,700. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,' Premier Jacinta Allan 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.' Those found guilty in NSW face four years imprisonment fines up to $4,400. Mr Singh said he feared 'the expanded search powers will disproportionately be used against young people from lower socio-economic areas'. 'This leads to distrust of police and can in fact have the opposite effect – that is, young people keep knives but simply avoid police and are less likely to report crimes'. He said this is already seen in the rising amount of NSW youth caught up in the criminal system following legislation changes and bail reform. 'The strictest knife crime laws at present are in NSW. While the laws have only recently been introduced, there has been a noticeable increase in the courts seeing knife offences,' Mr Singh said. 'This, along with recent Bail Act reforms in NSW, has led to a marked increase in children being refused bail and held in custody, which does nothing to address their behaviour or promote rehabilitation of offenders.'
Perth Now
8 hours ago
- Perth Now
Confronting reason teens carrying knives
Harsher penalties will do little to curb the spike in youth knife crime unless the underlying reasons why they are being carried are addressed, a leading criminal lawyer has declared. Astor Legal principal lawyer Avinash Singh said he deals with people charged with knife offences on a weekly basis, with many also involved in the illegal drug trade. 'We have represented a number of minors accused of carrying knives – generally from lower socio-economic areas carrying knives for self-defence,' Mr Singh told NewsWire. Youth and those involved in the drug trade are some of the most common offenders in regard to knife crime. NSW Police Credit: Supplied 'Unfortunately, a lot of these young people have been assaulted and/or threatened themselves. 'They feel that reporting the matter to police after the fact will do them little good, particularly if they are seriously injured or even killed,' he said. 'As such, they often feel that they have to carry a knife to protect themselves.' The hard truth then, is that harsher crimes may not reduce offending, or make the community any safer, Mr Singh said. Mr Singh said tougher laws are unlikely to significantly reduce crime, as youth offenders from low-socio-economic backgrounds often carry knives as a form of self defence out of fear and mistrust with police. Credit: Supplied 'While it is understandable that governments and the community demand tougher laws to combat knife crime, this is unlikely to do much to reduce it in my opinion,' he said. 'People who carry knives are unlikely to stop just because of increased penalties. 'Research has found that they stop when they are no longer exposed to an environment where carrying a knife is seen as a necessity,' he said. 'This means addressing these communities by providing resources, programs and funding to prevent the issue – something governments have continuously failed to do.' The Victorian Allan Government announced in May it will be introducing laws to ban the sale and possession of machetes following an alleged spate of machete assaults. From September 1, those carrying a 'controlled weapon' or knife in Victoria will face up to two years imprisonment or a fine of $30,700. 'In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear,' Premier Jacinta Allan 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.' More needs to be done to address the root cause of the problem in order to protect community safety and prevent youth crime, Mr Singh asserts. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Singh said he has seen more, not less, people appearing in court over knife offences. NewsWire / Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Those found guilty in NSW face four years imprisonment fines up to $4,400. Mr Singh said he feared 'the expanded search powers will disproportionately be used against young people from lower socio-economic areas'. 'This leads to distrust of police and can in fact have the opposite effect – that is, young people keep knives but simply avoid police and are less likely to report crimes'. He said this is already seen in the rising amount of NSW youth caught up in the criminal system following legislation changes and bail reform. 'The strictest knife crime laws at present are in NSW. While the laws have only recently been introduced, there has been a noticeable increase in the courts seeing knife offences,' Mr Singh said. 'This, along with recent Bail Act reforms in NSW, has led to a marked increase in children being refused bail and held in custody, which does nothing to address their behaviour or promote rehabilitation of offenders.'
