Australia-wide knife crackdown gets sharperStaff WritersAAPSun, 29 June 2025 12:09PM
KNIFE LAWS AROUND THE COUNTRY:
VIC:
* An interim ban on sales of machetes in the state was instituted in May after a surge in high-profile stabbings in shopping centres, including a security guard stabbed outside a Melbourne Woolworths
* Penalties range from one year in prison for possession and more than $45,000 in fines for selling knives to children under 18
NSW:
* In December 2024, the government passed a raft of new laws with those carrying a knife in a public place or school facing up to four years in jail and the sale of sharp knives to children under 16 prohibited
* Six months earlier, police powers were expanded to wand or scan people without a warrant in public areas including sporting venues, shopping centres and public transport
* Penalties for various knife offences include a maximum four year jail term and fines of up to $11,000
QLD:
* Jack’s Law was passed in 2023 in honour of 17-year-old Jack Beasley who was fatally stabbed in a knife attack in 2019
* It empowers police to use hand-held metal detectors to seize concealed weapons in public places
WA:
* The state passed new laws in December 2024 for police to scan people in specific entertainment precincts
* Failure to comply can result in a fine of up to $12,000 or a year behind bars
* The fine is tripled to $36,000 and three years in jail for possessing an edged weapon, which includes everything from knives and machetes to scythes and axes
NT:
* The territory introduced wanding laws in 2023 across 16 precincts
* It also introduced a knife crime prevention strategy, following the death of a 20-year-old bottle shop worker at his workplace in March 2023.
TAS:
* Reid’s Law was passed in April to stop people carrying flick knives and machetes for the purpose of causing fear and threatening community safety
* The bill is named after Reid Ludwig, a father of two who was fatally stabbed at a petrol station in 2019 at the hands of an armed teenager
* It also expands search and stop powers for police officers with those carrying the dangerous sharp weapons facing up to three years in prison or a $20,000 fine
SA:
* SA has moved to ban machetes and swords making it an offence to manufacture, sell, distribute, supply or have possession of the weapons with a maximum penalty of $20,000 or two years in jail
* The government has also raised the purchase age for any dangerous knives from 16 to 18 and has expanded laws around the possession of knives and offensive weapons in public places to include childcare centres, preschools, universities and TAFE SA campuses, and places of worship
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