More than 1,300 dangerous weapons have been surrendered by Victorians in the first two weeks of the Allan Labor Government's machete amnesty.
Acting Premier Ben Carroll and Minister for Police Anthony Carbines today visited Richmond Police Station to provide an update on the amnesty and remind Victorians to put their machetes and dangerous knives in the bins before the amnesty ends.
From September 1 to 12, Victorians disposed of 1,362 machetes and other dangerous knives. This is alongside 3,400 machetes handed in by major retailers.
Victorians can drop off machetes safely and anonymously at disposal bins located at 45 police stations across Victoria until 30 November 2025.
The heavy-duty steel bins have been designed in consultation with Victoria Police and security experts and are under surveillance at 24/7 police stations across the state.
On top of the machete ban, a record 10,800 dangerous weapons have been seized so far this year through Victoria Police OMNI operations - a result of the expanded stop and search powers that were implemented by the Labor Government this year.
Since 1 September 2025, owning, carrying, using, buying or selling a machete without a valid exemption or approval is an offence, with penalties of up to two years imprisonment or a fine of more than $47,000.
Exemptions apply for specific uses, including for agricultural workers who use machetes as part of their job and for machetes that have a genuine traditional, historical, or cultural significance.
Investment in the amnesty period covers the manufacture and installation of the bins, the collection and safe disposal of weapons, the public and retailer awareness campaign, and managing exemptions for the ban.
As part of the public awareness campaign, information has been rolled out in 16 languages to run across newspapers, radio, social media, digital displays and online video/streaming platforms.
Further details on exemptions, safe disposal bins and their locations is available at vic.gov.au/machete-amnesty.
As stated by Acting Premier Ben Carroll
"Our first duty is to keep the community safe, and there will be zero-tolerance for illegal machetes on our streets.
These weapons have no place on our streets - Victorians are doing the right thing by dumping them before they
face the harsh penalties."
As stated by Minister for Police Anthony Carbines
"Knife crime has devastating consequences - that's why we're drying up the supply of these dangerous weapons with our nation-leading ban and expanded stop and search powers to get them off the streets for good."
"There are ten weeks left of the amnesty, if you still have machetes drop them off at a bin to avoid harsh penalties including jail time."
