The Victorian Government will introduce a ban on the purchase of machete knives after an incident in Melbourne’s North last Sunday.
In a statement announced yesterday the Allan Labor Government will “use extraordinary powers” to ban the sales of machete knives as of Wednesday the 28th of May 2025.
The immediate action comes after a violent event at Northland Shopping Centre involving two youth gangs in a dispute involving machetes, leading to one man to be taken to hospital with upper body wounds. Shoppers were placed in lockdown while the incident took place before being evacuated as police arrested 2 individuals.
In March this year machete knives were announced to be a prohibited weapon to possess as of September 2025 under an amendment to the Control of Weapons Act. This new ban will prohibit the sales of the knife, described as having a cutting edge blade of more than 20 centimeters, in the interim to limit widespread possession before the September ban.
Victoria will lead the country as the first state to introduce bans on this weapon, with machetes now on par with swords, crossbows, slingshots, pepper spray as dangerous goods. Suppliers failing to comply with prohibiting sales may face criminal charges and from September on consumers can face fines above 45,000 dollars and up to 2 years imprisonment.
For individuals who do possess a machete, the Government announced an amnesty that will run from the 1st of September to the 30th of November in which people can safely dispose of their knives with no criminal offence.
In the State Governments release of the interim ban, Premier Jacinta Allan stated “In Victoria, community safety comes first. We must never let places we meet become places we fear.” Minister for Consumer Affairs Nick Staikos continued “Consumer affairs is all about keeping people safe. We’re going to use our consumer powers to do just that.”
Sophie Janusko 