Laws requiring retailers to safely store and secure knives will come into effect from July next year, while thousands of weapons have been handed in as part of the Government's knife surrender period.
The Government has today announced the commencement for the final phase of its nation leading knife laws, with retailers being required to either securely store or tether any dangerous knives for sale that are kept in publicly accessible areas of the shop, from 1 July 2026.
In addition, retailers will be required to display signs informing shoppers that the sale of knives to minors under 18 years of age is prohibited by law.
Exemptions to the secure storage requirements for retailers will apply in cases where the knives being sold don't actually pose a threat - such as disposable knives used for the consumption of food, butter knives or similar knives sold in a cutlery set that do not have a sharp point, as well as razor blades that are permanently enclosed in a cartridge.
An exemption for the secure storage of dangerous knives will apply for fishing and tackle stores in recognition of the impact of the algal bloom on this sector.
The reforms, which are the third phase of the Government's nation leading knife law package, build on earlier law changes which have included stronger search powers for police, and reclassifying swords and machetes as prohibited weapons where, as a result, penalties of up to $20,000 or 2 years imprisonment now apply for possession of a prohibited sword or machete. Children under 18 are now also not able to buy dangerous knives under any circumstances, with the new age of purchase raised from 16 years old recently commencing on 1 July 2025.
As part of earlier knife law reforms, a 3 month surrender period commenced on 1 July 2025, with South Australians able to anonymously surrender dangerous weapons to SAPOL.
Already 2,353 weapons have been surrendered, including 1,156 machetes and 722 swords.
There are 3 weeks to go until the surrender period ends at midnight on 30 September. During that time, South Australians can continue to safely and anonymously dispose of dangerous weapons to SAPOL stations outside the CBD.
As put by Kyam Maher
Our nation leading knife law reform package is all about better protecting South Australians from knife crime.
This is the final stage in a suite of significant, but common-sense changes that will help minimise the risk of knife theft that could then be used in the commission of a crime.
Obviously, this will require a significant change to the way some retailers do business, which is why we have allowed for a ten month lead in time before these changes will come into effect.
This will ensure that affected businesses have time to understand how the new laws will apply to them, as well as to allow for retailers to take any necessary measures to comply with the requirements before they do commence.
Since the beginning of the three-month surrender period, South Australians have handed in more than 2000 weapons, demonstrating that so many members of the community are prepared to back these new knife laws and do their part to get rid of dangerous weapons.
With 3 weeks to go until the surrender period ends, we're reminding South Australians that they can safely and anonymously dispose of dangerous weapons to police stations outside the CBD.
