Latest news with #macheteban
South China Morning Post
6 days ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
How a machete-wielding mob's rampage led to new Australian knife laws days later
An Australian state government is banning the sale of machetes after a violent gang fight in a suburban shopping centre injured a young man. Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan announced the ban on the sale of large knives would take effect on Wednesday after machete-wielding gang members clashed at a Melbourne mall on Sunday afternoon. A 20-year-old man was seriously injured in the fight that involved eight combatants armed with machetes, a police statement said. Four suspects had been arrested and charged by Monday. 'I will introduce as many laws [as needed] to get these dangerous knives off the streets,' Allan told reporters on Monday. '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. Under consumer powers, using these powers, Victoria will be banning machetes from being sold anywhere in the state,' she added. Machetes are seen during an announcement at Victoria Police Headquarters in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: AAP Image via AP Victoria is the only Australian state or territory that plans to ban machetes, broadly defined as a cutting edge knife with a blade exceeding 20cm (7.9 inches) long. Kitchen knives are not included in the ban.
ABC News
6 days ago
- General
- ABC News
How Victoria's machete sale ban will be enforced
From today, Victorians won't be able to buy machetes from a shop after knife-wielding youth gangs brawled at a shopping centre in Melbourne's north. Police allege seven males, some armed with machetes, brawled at Northland Shopping Centre on Sunday. Six have been charged with offences including affray and intentionally causing injury. Here's what we know about the ban. The sales ban starts today, Wednesday, May 28, at midday. It's a total ban on selling machetes. The state government says a machete is broadly described as a "cutting edge knife" with a blade longer than 20 centimetres. Kitchen knives are not part of this definition. The government has not provided more detail. In March, the state government announced a raft of measures to tackle youth and violent crime in Victoria, including bail reform and a complete ban on owning machetes. It says these laws are some of the toughest in the country, with the machete ban starting in September. At the time, the government responded to criticism it was not moving fast enough by saying it needed time to implement the full ban — a position also supported by Victoria Police. But following the brawl between gangs at Northland Shopping Centre on Sunday — where police say at least three machetes were used — the government brought the sales ban forward. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says the aim is to "choke" the supply of machetes as much as possible before the complete ban comes into place. Victorian retailers will not be allowed to sell machetes, or store machetes with an intent to sell them. The government says retailers should hold onto their stock in a safe place before the full machete ban starts in September. This is when disposal, amnesty and exemption schemes will begin. Even if you use a machete for work, you will not be able to purchase one from a Victorian retailer. This is because the state government is using national consumer law to enforce this snap ban, which doesn't allow exemptions. The government's own ban on machetes will start on September 1, which is when Victorians will have to apply for an exemption to buy these knives. An example of an exemption is if a Victorian needs to use it in agriculture work, but the government has not released more detail. The ban does not cover overseas or interstate retailers — only those that sell in Victoria. But a youth support organisation has told the ABC machetes can be easily sourced online. Victorian Consumer Affairs Minister Nick Staikos has been asked about whether online availability will reduce the effectiveness of the ban, but did not directly answer the question. "My expectation is that every retailer who does business in Victoria immediately removes machetes from sale," he said. Australian Border Force says there are no restrictions on machetes entering the country from overseas, and the agency doesn't have oversight over how items move across state lines. E-commerce giant Amazon said it was working to implement the ban for Victorian customers. "Following the decision by the Victorian state government, we are working to ensure these products are not available for purchase from 12pm Wednesday," an Amazon spokesperson said. Mr Staikos says it will be enforced through a "taskforce" run by Consumer Affairs Victoria. But he was not able to answer specific questions about how big the taskforce was, or how it would be run — saying these sorts of operations were "business as usual" for the agency. He did say the agency was communicating with retailers and would be "going around Victoria" to make sure businesses were complying. He also said the agency would also inform market stall owners through local councils. Mr Staikos says retailers caught selling machetes would be up for fines of more than $200,000 and possible jail time. From September, machetes will become a prohibited weapon and only Victorians with an exemption will be able to purchase and own them. The penalty for Victorians with a machete in their possession will be a fine of more than $47,000 or two years in jail. But Victorians will be able to dispose of their machetes as part of an amnesty. This amnesty will run from September 1 to November 30, where Victorians can legally hand in their machetes in outdoor bins at select police stations.
ABC News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Expedited machete ban has all the hallmarks of a Victorian premier in survival mode
It took a brawl between machete-wielding young people at a suburban shopping centre to speed up Victoria's ban of long-edged weapons — not some well-developed policy process from Premier Jacinta Allan's government. It has all the hallmarks of a premier in survival mode, a government struggling to define and stick to its political narrative and a party still grappling with a law-and-order problem. The shocking images of hundreds of Melburnians fleeing the Northland Shopping Centre in the city's north horrified the premier and sprung her team into action to come up with a swift and meaningful, response. The fact the two teenagers alleged to be the main offenders were on bail at the time only added to Labor's pain. An "announceable" was needed. When the machete ban was flagged by the state earlier this year, an immediate ban was ruled out as too difficult to implement — it was too impractical. Now Victorians are being asked to believe that this has somehow changed, and that a ban can be put in place within three days. How will the state crack down on online sales? Machetes are readily available right now with the click of a button. During Monday's press conference Minister for Consumer Affairs Nick Staikos said he would "clarify" how online sales would be policed. Premier Allan said the sale ban would "choke" the supply of machetes until possession of the weapons becomes illegal later this year. The government will not budge on that timeline. "We are doing it as quickly as possible, but also as safely as possible,'' the premier said. That, she said, was based on the advice of police. A taskforce is now being hastily arranged to police the sale of the items for the next 90 days. How will this work? The government is still unable to say what specific items are banned, other than items that are "around 20cms". Amnesty bins need to be set up at police stations so people can surrender weapons. The fear within government circles was that had it just stuck to its September timeline for machete bans, it would have infuriated an already cynical public. In political circles up on Spring Street, there is debate about how big an issue crime is with voters. The Coalition is convinced it's a top-two priority for Victorians alongside cost of living. Opinion is more divided in Labor, but there is a consensus that it is a major distraction for the government. In parts of Melbourne it is also doing damage to the brand. The premier has certainly lent into being a tough cop on the beat with a big spending law and order budget and "the toughest bail laws" in the country. Labor needs to neutralise the crime issue, and at the moment is reactive to pressure to act. But the focus on crime is starving the government of attention on its narrative. And herein lies its problem. What is Labor's political agenda under Jacinta Allan? "When you're lacking a narrative, something will fill the void,'' one insider said. The premier has continued from her predecessor Daniel Andrews's agenda of hard hats and high vis. But the political climate has changed since Andrews stood down. The budget is in a precarious position and the popularity of Allan's pet project, the Suburban Rail Loop, is up for debate among voters and her own caucus. Andrews's tenure was not immune from crime crises, in response to youth crime issues it tried to send teens to adult prison. A policy that was ultimately shot down by the Supreme Court. But Andrews was able to focus on other issues while dealing with crime. The opposition staked its 2018 campaign on law and order and got thumped. But justice has gripped Premier Allan's government in a different way — crime is up and it's a third-term government. Expediting the machete ban is a win for the opposition. It gets to keep talking about an issue it wants every debate to be focused on. Banning machetes has been top of the opposition's to-do list for more than a year, including under the previous leadership of John Pesutto. "Labor has only acted today because it had no choice. It's a decision born of political panic, not public safety,'' current leader Brad Battin said. Another former leader — there's three in the party room of 32 — has been active on social media saying that he had warned people of the problem with youth crime in 2018. "Violent youth crime was a huge problem. Labor ignored it,'' Matthew Guy said on Instagram. "People believed them. It remains a huge and increasing problem today…'' The government stresses this not a political response, but a genuine response to community concerns about safety. But the quick-fire response, in the face of negative headlines highlights a trend where the government is reactive to loud voices. Government sources lament the lack of a proactive social policy agenda, and say there is little appetite for any reform. Labor usually kicks goals when it comes to education, and it's important because one million Victorian kids go to school. Instead, the government has withheld $2.4 billion needed to meet the full funding for Victorian schools under the Gonski model. "We're called the Education State, well it's in name only,'' one frustrated MP said. And just last week it quietly shelved plans for landmark poker machine reforms, the decision buried in the budget with pokies taxes forecast to rise not drop as in previous years. It's symbolic, MPs say, of a government that spends too much time responding to crises and stakeholders, rather than its agenda. Next year's state election shapes as an intriguing contest. Labor is gunning for an historic fourth term, but is carrying three terms of baggage, yet is still well placed to win thanks to a big parliamentary majority. It also has a proven campaign machine ready to go — as witnessed in the federal result. Labor's opponents also have a litany of internal issues, poor campaign infrastructure and a lack of policy beyond law and order. Two months ago, Liberal MPs were claiming that even "a drover's dog" would win the next election. Post-May 3 this analysis has disappeared, and some of the hubris halted.
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
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.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the 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.
The Independent
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Australia has some of the world's toughest gun laws – it now wants to tackle machetes
Victoria in Australia is cracking down on machete sales following a violent gang brawl. Premier Jacinta Allan announced the ban, effective Wednesday, after a Sunday afternoon clash at a Melbourne shopping mall left a young man injured. The ban on large knives comes as a direct response to the machete-wielding gang members involved in the incident. A 20-year-old man was seriously injured in the fight that involved eight combatants armed with machetes, a police statement said. Four suspects had been arrested and charged by Monday. 'I will introduce as many laws (as needed) to get these dangerous knives off the streets,' Allan told reporters. '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. Under consumer powers, using these powers, Victoria will be banning machetes from being sold anywhere in the state,' she added. Victoria is the only Australian state or territory that plans to ban machetes, broadly defined as a cutting edge knife with a blade exceeding 20 centimeters (almost 8 inches) long. Kitchen knives are not included in the ban. Possession of a machete will be banned with few exceptions in Victoria, Australia's second-most populous state, from Sept. 1. The ban on the sale of machetes was to have taken effect on that date. A three-month amnesty will give people time to dispose of their machetes at police stations and secure bins without penalty. Possession of a machete in Victoria would be punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of more than 47,000 Australian dollars ($30,700). England and Wales banned possession of machetes and some other knives in September last year. Australia has some of the toughest gun laws in the world, and gun crimes are relatively rare. But knife crimes are becoming more common. New South Wales, Australia's most populous state, and Queensland and South Australia states ban the sale of knives to children. Machetes are currently controlled weapons that are allowed to be carried for legitimate purposes. Around 40 police officers responded to the fight between rival gangs in Melbourne. The two alleged primary offenders, boys aged 15 and 16, were arrested at the scene and charged with using a controlled weapon and other offenses. The boys were held in custody to appear in a children's court at a later date. Two men, aged 18 and 20, were arrested Monday and charged in relation to the violence. They were released on bail for a court appearance in July. All four were known gang members, police said.
