Samara McPhedran, Griffith University
Following a shopping centre brawl in Melbourne at the weekend, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan announced the state will ban the sale of all machetes from Wednesday.
In March this year, the Victorian government had already announced that from September 1 machetes would become a “prohibited weapon”.
Prohibited weapons are items considered inappropriate for general possession and use without a police commissioner’s approval or a Governor in Council Exemption Order.
This means machetes will be added to the list of things – such as swords, crossbows, slingshots, pepper spray and about 40 other items – that are essentially banned.
Possession of a prohibited item can result in penalties of two years imprisonment or a fine of more than $47,000.
Victoria is the first state in Australia to outright ban machetes. In other jurisdictions, machetes (like knives) may be used for lawful purposes, and are “controlled” or “restricted” – meaning you need a reasonable excuse or valid reason for possessing one.
Most jurisdictions (except Tasmania and the Northern Territory) prohibit sales to minors.
Premier of Victoria Jacinta Allan has announced a ban on the sale and possession of machete knives in Victoria, the first in Australia, following a stabbing involving teens at a Melbourne shopping centre over the weekend. Two teenagers have been charged over the incident.#ban… pic.twitter.com/yf2CyY67Dh
— Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 25, 2025
Will there be exemptions?
Allan said the sales ban will have no exceptions, meaning nobody will be able to purchase a machete.
However, machetes are a useful tool, particularly for agricultural purposes, and outdoor uses such as camping.
When the new laws come into effect in September, people will be able to apply for a special “commissioner’s approval” to possess a machete. The exact details of who may be granted an exemption, and under what circumstances, are not yet clear.
Nor is it clear whether people will have to, for example, pay for a permit to own a machete, or what measures people may have to take to prevent unauthorised access or theft.
How much of a problem is knife crime in Australia?
Despite alarming headlines and political rhetoric about a knife crime epidemic, it is hard to say exactly how much of a problem knife crime is.
Statistics about weapon use and unlawful possession are not always disaggregated by type of weapon.
Crime statistics are notoriously slippery, and what looks like a “crisis” can often be the result of changes in policing practices. For instance, when police run an intensive operation searching for knives in public places, they are more likely to find knives in public places. This does not necessarily mean there are more people out there carrying knives.
The one crime where statistics are fairly clear is homicide: knives or other sharp instruments have long been the most common weapon used in Australia.
The actual number of homicides involving knives or sharp instruments has stayed relatively stable over time. When you take into account the increase in how many people live in Australia, the rate per head of population has fallen.
It is tempting to think a machete ban would reduce these figures even more. Unfortunately, violence prevention is not that simple.
Homicides that involve people using their hands and feet have declined markedly over time. Why has this “method”, which is available to anybody, fallen so much? The answer is: nobody really knows.
This tells us we need to look beyond types of weapons.
Will the ban achieve anything?
Violence is complex and simple “solutions” may make people feel safe (at least temporarily) but seldom deliver real results over the longer term.
It’s easy for governments to ban things, which is why they do it so often. But we should pay close attention to what Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbine said in March:
This is Australia’s first machete ban, and we agree with police that it must be done once and done right. It took the UK (United Kingdom) 18 months – we can do it in six.
Victoria’s machete ban from September 1 will be an Australian first. A record number of almost 15,000 knives were seized by @VictoriaPolice in 2024. Police powers will be extended to stop & search people for weapons for longer at areas like train stations & shopping centres. pic.twitter.com/CtoSkNM3he
— Anthony Carbines MP (@ACarbinesMP) March 13, 2025
Lawmaking should never be a race. Nor should politicians be mere mouthpieces doing what police tell them.
Police are the ones we turn to for protection when violence breaks out, but this does not mean they are the only ones we should go to when we are looking for the most effective ways to deal with problems.
Tackling violence takes serious commitment to complex and intensive programs that focus on the root causes, particularly among at-risk families and disadvantaged, marginalised youth.
This is hard work that takes a long time, includes many different stakeholders, and seldom sways votes. Focusing on the choice of weapon is simply a distraction.
There is no question the sight of machete-wielding youths storming through a busy shopping centre is terrifying. People should be able to go about their business without fearing they will be attacked.
But reducing violence takes a lot more than banning one particular weapon, as Victoria will likely find out.
Samara McPhedran, Principal Research Fellow, Griffith University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Definitely a quick ‘fix’ which doesn’t address anything. A Machete is a gardening tool. A kitchen knife with an extended handle or a heavy kitchen chopper is every bit as lethal. Soon our great premier will have taken all of our knives and forks and have us on a soup diet. Anyone with an angle grinder can make their own weapon of choice anyway, so making sales illegal does not do anything. The real problem is our ‘catch and release’ court system. Anyone who commits a significant crime while on bail should not get bail again … ever. Also, if they do not volunteer the identities of their coconspirators, bail should not be available until they do. While we are at it … 40 gangs! Let’s identify them, let us know which are ethnically based, religious based, postcode based etc. and declare them as criminal organisations so that organised crime laws can be brought into effect. The main and almost only purpose of our policing and courts system should be to keep the ordinary citizen safe.
‘A kitchen knife with an extended handle or a heavy kitchen chopper is every bit as lethal.’
Excellent point, Gaz!
Banning machetes or others will not stop crime what so ever, just means things go underground.
There are more deaths per year by way of motor vehicles, E scooters and other mobile machines and work places,
Working KPI, road rage, alcohol, meth are killers, impatience, non tolerance of others, race hate etc.
Weapons can eg glasses, car keys, walking canes selfie sticks, hard bristle comb can cut or stab a nd the list gos on.
Look at society first, family unit, Disapline, teaching, schooling etc
‘Look at society first, family unit, Disapline, teaching, schooling etc’
Another great one, Shane! Really makes one think where we as a society dropped the ball…
At least the government gave the gangs 2 days to buy their weapons.
They should have made it immediate. Like allthings this Vic government does they like to take their time.
‘At least the government gave the gangs 2 days to buy their weapons.’
Fair enough, Kevin!
Did anyone see the SBS Viceland show ‘Forged in Fire’ on Tuesday where they tested and showed how to use long handled machete-like weapons for stomach slashes, heart thrusts and decapitations? Talk about a live TV do-it-yourself manual on how to go about a deadly attack with a long handled blade! And we wonder why young people want to try it themselves.