The Victorian Government says more than 1,300 dangerous weapons have been surrendered in the first two weeks of the Government’s machete amnesty.
Acting Premier, Ben Carroll and Minister for Police, Anthony Carbines, today visited Richmond Police Station to provide an update on the amnesty and remind Victorians to put their machetes and dangerous knives in the bins before the amnesty ends.
From September 1 to 12, Victorians disposed of 1,362 machetes and other dangerous knives, alongside 3,400 machetes handed in by major retailers.
“Our first duty is to keep the community safe, and there will be zero-tolerance for illegal machetes on our streets,” said Mr Carroll.
“These weapons have no place on our streets – Victorians are doing the right thing by dumping them before they face the harsh penalties.”
Victorians can drop off machetes safely and anonymously at disposal bins located at 45 police stations across Victoria until 30 November.
The heavy-duty steel bins have been designed in consultation with Victoria Police and security experts and are under surveillance at 24/7 police stations across the state, the Government said in a statement.
Since 1 September, owning, carrying, using, buying or selling a machete without a valid exemption or approval is an offence, with penalties of up to two years imprisonment or a fine of more than $47,000.
Exemptions apply for specific uses, including for agricultural workers who use machetes as part of their job and for machetes that have a genuine traditional, historical, or cultural significance.
“Knife crime has devastating consequences – that’s why we’re drying up the supply of these dangerous weapons with our nation-leading ban and expanded stop and search powers to get them off the streets for good,” said Minister Carbines.
“There are 10 weeks left of the amnesty, if you still have machetes drop them off at a bin to avoid harsh penalties including jail time.”
Further details on exemptions, safe disposal bins and their locations is available at vic.gov.au/machete-amnesty.
