Two machete disposal bins will be located in Melbourne’s inner west as part of a two-month amnesty period during which people are being urged to safely dispose of the weapon.
The safe disposal bins will be located at Footscray and Altona police stations, along with other police stations throughout Melbourne’s north west from September 1 to November 30.
The bins will be accessible 24-7 and will be roughly 900 millimetres by 1200 millimetres in size, with a 70 millimetre concrete base to ensure they are secure and have feet to allow for safe removal.
The amnesty period will coincide with a statewide machete ban which will make owning, carrying, using, buying, or selling a machete without a valid exemption or approval a criminal offence from September 1.
During the amnesty period, people can hand in a machete without penalty.
Anyone who fails to do so could face up to two years’ imprisonment or a fine of more than $47,000, the state government said.
According to the government, agricultural workers who use machetes as part of their job and machetes that are used in a traditional, historical, or cultural capacity will be exempted.
Anyone covered by an exemption must comply with strict conditions and be able to demonstrate eligibility if asked by police.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines said the government had a simple message to anyone who owned a machete.
“Get rid of them or face the consequences,” he said.
“We’re backing Victoria Police who work tirelessly to get these weapons out of young people’s hands and keep people safe.”
Premier Jacinta Allan said machetes destroyed lives.
“Victorians have zero tolerance for knife crime and so do we – we’re enacting this ban and boosting Victoria Police’s powers because community safety always comes first.”
The government introduce an interim sales ban on machetes in May in response to a knife attack at Northland Shopping Centre.
Since then Consumer Affairs Victoria has inspected more than 470 retailers to enforce the ban – with only seven stores and one market vendor found to be breaking the law.
Details: vic.gov.au/machete-amnesty.
