The state government will crackdown on organised crime and how machetes are classified – as part of new laws to boost police powers on illegal firearms and weapon sales.
Introduced into Parliament on February 7, the Firearms and Control of Weapons (Machetes) Amendment Bill 2024 will amend the Control of Weapons Act 1990 to ensure that there is no doubt that a machete is a controlled weapon.
By clarifying the definition of a controlled weapon, the legal status of machetes will be absolutely clear – they cannot be possessed, carried, or used without a lawful excuse or sold to anyone under the age of 18.
There have been multiple alleged crimes involving machetes in the last year, including an alleged affray at Watergardens in which 13 teens were charged, including three from the Melton LGA and nine machetes were found. THere was also a home invasion last April in Melton South during which a 31-year-old man was slashed in the face by a machete, and an alleged affray between teenagers at Woodgrove shopping centre last month in which a machete was seized.
While machetes are frequently used for legitimate and lawful purposes, such as clearing food crops, gardening and maintaining trails – the state government hopes that clarifying to traders that machetes are controlled weapons and proof of age must be checked before sale will help police ensure machetes don’t end up in the hands of minors.
The penalty for carrying a controlled weapon with an unlawful excuse is a fine of more than $23,000 or a jail term of one year.
It is an offence for a person to sell a controlled weapon to any person under 18, with a fine of up to $3,846. It is also an offence for a child to purchase a controlled weapon, with a fine of up to $2,308.
Separately, the Bill will amend existing laws to make it easier for police to serve a firearm prohibition order (FPO) on a person.
Currently FPOs must be served in person which can prove difficult where a person is avoiding police.
Minister for Police Anthony Carbines said the Bill makes it clear that a machete is a weapon and not a tool to be sold to a minor – reducing the risk of them ending up in the hands of someone under 18.
