Victoria's machete sale ban off to rocky start following confusion over the rules

7NEWS

7 days ago

Victoria's ban on the sale of machetes has officially come into effect, however community confusion remains after the government announced a last-minute change on the weapons classification.
The government has been touting the ban, effective from midday on Wednesday, as a way to 'dry up' the supply of the dangerous weapons ahead of September 1 when they will be prohibited.
The ban on both possessing and selling the machetes was to begin on this date but the sale ban was fast-tracked after a violent weekend in Melbourne.
But in the three days since the ban was announced and then enacted, the government has changed its definition of what is classified as a machete, leading to more questions than answers.
Initially, machetes were described as a cutting-edge knife with a blade of more than 20cm. Kitchen knives were not included.
But on Wednesday, director of Consumer Affairs Victoria Nicole Rich said there was no particular length included in the definition of the banned knives.
Instead, she referred to a ban notice issued by the government on Tuesday, saying it was the 'single source of truth' for what is and isn't banned.
In the notice, machetes are classified as 'large broad-bladed cutting knives', with examples depicted in six pictures.
The examples show large knives with smooth cutting edges, but do not include knifes with serrated edges like the ones that were shown during a press conference in March when the initial September 1 ban was announced.
Rich said a machete was 'anything that an ordinary person would consider to be a machete'.
'If something is clearly a kitchen knife, something is clearly a saw, if ordinary people would understand that to be the case ... that is what it is,' she said.
'If you're in any doubt about whether a product is or isn't, it's probably a machete and I think you'd be safe to remove it from sale.
'I think people do understand the (difference) between an ordinary knife or even other tools and a machete, and the ban notice is framed accordingly.'
There was also confusion around online and interstate retailers, and if the ban applied only to retailers physically in the state of Victoria.
Minister for Consumer Affairs Nick Staikos clarified the ban did extend to interstate and online shops selling machetes in the state and that the government would be monitoring online sales.
'Any business that sells machetes into Victoria whether that's online or not is liable for the civil and criminal penalties,' he said.
How the government will track this is unclear, with a spokesperson from the Australian Border Force telling 7NEWS the importation of machetes from overseas is not illegal.
'The ABF does not have a role in items that move across state borders and jurisdictions,' the spokesperson said.
'The importation of weapons, such as daggers, automatic knives, and throwing knives are prohibited under the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations ... unless a valid import permit has been obtained.
'Machetes are not prohibited weapons.'
Staikos said a number of online retailers had already removed machetes from their sites.
Two of the biggest online retailers in the world, eBay and Amazon, sell a number of machetes.
A spokesperson from Amazon said it was 'working to ensure these products are not available for purchase from 12pm Wednesday'.
As of Wednesday afternoon, it appeared as though Amazon had removed the links to machetes on its site for people based in Victoria, while eBay was contacted for comment.
Machete ban labelled 'confusing'
Les Twentyman Foundation chief executive Paul Burke said anecdotally, he had been told most youths were buying machetes via the internet.
To combat this, the federal government needed to step in, he said.
'The Victorian Government can't stop the importation of these things … so you need to choke the supply there, the only people that can choke the supply there is the Federal Government and its agencies.'
'I mean to solve this problem once and for all, it is a national problem, it's not just Melbourne, it's not just Victoria, it needs a little bit of (help from the) government and a whole lot of common sense.'
While machetes have been taken off the shelves of camping and outdoor stores, other potentially dangerous weapons like smaller knives and folding gardening saws with blades over 20cm remain.
Burke said the ban should extend to include more weapons and types of knives, and admitted the governments' definition of a machete was 'confusing'.
'We've always argued that the ban shouldn't just be machetes, it should be these combat knives that seem to be so prevalent as well,' he said.
'It would be good to have (more details) as soon as possible. You get the feeling that perhaps some of it is still being worked out as we speak.'
On Wednesday, Premier Jacinta Allan said the September 1 ban on carrying machetes could be brought forward if the locked disposal boxes at 40 police stations are ready before the deadline.
During an amnesty from September to the end of November, people who have machetes will be able to dispose of the weapons in specially designated boxes.
'It's really important to make sure we have the arrangements for the amnesty right,' she said.
'When you have a focus on community safety, when that's the priority, you don't want to then go and take action that risks community safety or risks the workplace safety of those police officers who will need to be handling these dangerous weapons once the amnesty commences.
'If Victoria Police can come to us and indicate that the arrangements have been put in place in that way, my door will always be open to any measure that strengthens community safety.'