TRANSCRIPT:
I rise today to speak on the Terrorism (Community Protection) and Control of Weapons Amendment Bill 2024. What we are going to see with our next speaker are some amendments, which will be put forward by the member for Brighton, which will actually make it an effective bill. Otherwise we will be deeply concerned if this does go ahead as is, because there are going to be two incredibly important amendments proposed that will strengthen what will otherwise be ineffective and long-overdue machete laws.
The amendments call for an immediate ban on the sale of machetes and bring forward the date that they are classified as a prohibited weapon. Otherwise, under Labor’s weak laws, the sale and distribution of machetes will continue for another six months. That is six more months when violent criminals could walk into a store and buy a machete with no questions asked and six more months when these weapons could be stockpiled, ready to be used in terrifying home invasions, violent assaults and frightening and horrific robberies. We have seen it. We have seen it in the headlines on a daily basis.
Our amendments will stop this madness. They will restrict the sale of machetes immediately and ensure that only those with a valid exemption can access them. They will bring forward the date when machetes become a prohibited weapon by three months, making it clear that these dangerous weapons have no place on our streets. That needs to be the message. Victoria is sick of waiting. Every day that machetes remain available is another day when innocent Victorians could be attacked and are attacked. These amendments must be supported and passed by Parliament without delay. A record amount of knives were seized in Victoria last year. Nearly 15,000 knives, swords, daggers and machetes were seized last year, the most in a decade; that is 40 weapons per day.
After four attempts by the Liberals and Nationals to ban machetes, the Allan Labor government has finally bowed to pressure to introduce a ban – and I wish the member for Laverton was in here as I give a correct and true timeline of events that seem to have slipped her mind. While the member for Laverton said many in her community welcome the ban, she failed to recognise that she opposed our changes last year and the year prior. In November 2023 we introduced a private members bill to amend the Control of Weapons Act 1990 to classify machetes as prohibited weapons. The proposal sought to ban the possession of machetes without lawful excuse, and Labor opposed the bill. In February last year an amendment was moved to the Firearms and Control of Weapons (Machetes) Amendment Bill 2024 in the Assembly to reclassify machetes from controlled to prohibited weapons, and this change would have imposed stricter regulations on their sale and possession. Again Labor opposed the amendment. It is insanity, and lives are at risk as a result. Suddenly there is silence when you realise the impact that you on that side have had on Victorians’ lives. In March last year we moved another amendment to the Firearms and Control of Weapons (Machetes) Amendment Bill 2024. The change would have imposed stricter regulations on their sale and possession. Again, Labor opposed the amendment. Again, in March this year – we are seeing the cycle here of protecting criminals in Victoria – we moved an amendment to the government’s Terrorism (Community Protection) and Control of Weapons Amendment Bill, and the member for Caulfield’s amendment aimed to classify machetes as a prohibited weapon. What happened? Labor opposed the amendment – and here we are.
It is insanity what is happening in Victoria right now. Just last week I stopped at a petrol station and was shocked to see machetes being sold on the counter. It is so normal now that you can buy a machete from your petrol station. Half of them would have been classified as machetes by this government. I asked the clerk, ‘Why are they being sold so openly?’ His response was chilling in its simplicity. He said, ‘They’re selling like hot cakes; they’re selling like hot cakes in Victoria.’ How can you sit in this place knowing full well the devastation these weapons can cause and allow them and vote for them to be so easily available? This is not responsible government, this is negligence.
Victorian people are paying the price for this government’s negligence, with torture every night and the fear of more home invasions that you see on a daily basis in the headlines. The Allan Labor government has repeatedly failed to take decisive action when it comes to crime – any action. We have been begging for 18 months: do something. We saw it with their disastrous bail laws, we see it with the underfunding of police resources and now again we see it with the refusal of an immediate ban on machetes. In the meantime the stats speak pretty loudly: crime is surging, and regional Victorians are paying the price.
The statistics are so grim, and they are only going to get grimmer in the next six months with what you are proposing. In Mitchell shire, criminal incidents have increased by nearly 32 per cent – 850 more incidents recorded compared to last year. Total offences are up by 27 per cent throughout the region. Family violence has spiked by nearly 24 per cent. In Benalla criminal incidents have risen by more than 12 per cent. Strathbogie surged 34 per cent year on year. This is the outcome of your weak laws. These are not just numbers. It took you 18 months. There were lots of victims in that time because it took you 18 months. We see it in our offices, when they come in, that families have to live in fear while you delay accepting our amendments. These are the consequences of crime in Victoria right now. It is disgraceful. There have been reports of stolen vehicles in Violet Town, break-ins at farms near Benalla and Colbinabbin, robberies in Murchison community house and damage across so many towns. Victorians feel helpless under this government. People are posting desperately on community pages, contacting my office for answers and forming their own neighbourhood watch groups, because what other options do they have.
Instead of strengthening our justice system this government has cut funding to our courts and delayed pay negotiations for our police officers, and instead of investing in public safety the Allan Labor government closed Dhurringile Prison, a facility that underwent multimillion dollars worth of significant upgrades to improve rehabilitation efforts for low-risk offenders. Overnight it was closed. The closure of Dhurringile was reckless, and it ignored the needs of Victoria right now. More than 160 staff lost their jobs, and our region lost a key facility that could have played a role in housing offenders under these laws. If the government truly wants tougher bail laws that will put more offenders behind bars, then why on earth would it close a prison that could have helped manage that burden? Dhurringile Prison was not just a correctional facility, it was a centre for rehabilitation and, importantly, reintegration. For many low-risk offenders it provided an opportunity to gain skills, work on farms and participate in programs that aimed to reduce reoffending. Dhurringile played a crucial role in breaking the cycle of crime and ensuring that those who serve their time can return to society as contributing members. Without proper rehabilitation the risk of reoffending remains high, placing further strain on law enforcement and the judicial system. Closing Dhurringile without a clear plan for replacing its program is a failure of long-term planning and a perfect example of this government’s stupidity and negligence when it comes to controlling crime in Victoria. We must prioritise smart justice solutions that balance accountability with rehabilitation and ensure offenders who can be reformed are given the place to do so. The government must halt the sale of Dhurringile Prison immediately and work with the community to ensure the site is put to good use.
Victorians deserve a say in their future, and we need urgent leadership to address the root causes of violence in our communities. Stronger sentencing laws, better support for police and immediate restrictions on the sale of dangerous weapons are the bare minimum you should be delivering in government. This is not about politics, this is about public safety. The choice is simple: act now or explain to Victorians why the Allan Labor government let the danger continue.