The Shepparton safe disposal bin is located outside the station, near the front door.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Machetes, characterised as large, broad-bladed cutting knives, are now banned in Victoria.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
An amnesty campaign to get them off the streets has begun.
People can surrender machetes anonymously at safe disposal bins located at 45 designated 24/7 metropolitan and regional police stations, including Shepparton, during the amnesty period from September 1 to November 30.
From September 1, owning, carrying, using, buying or selling a machete without a valid exemption or approval is an offence, with penalties including up to two years imprisonment or a fine of more than $47,000.
The $13 million package the Victorian Government has funded for the ban covers the scheme’s associated costs, not just the bins.
A government spokesperson said each of the bins “cost approximately $2400” to make.
The remaining funds will cover safe disposal of the weapons, the public awareness and retailer education campaign, exemption management and installation cost.
State MP David Limbrick asked Corrections Minister Enver Erdogan in question time whether the bins had been made in prisons, as metal fabrication company representatives from his area had reported they had not seen tenders listed on government websites.
While Mr Erdogen confirmed there were metal fabrication projects within Corrections Victoria facilities, he did not confirm or deny whether the bins were manufactured using those resources.
The News posed the same question to the minister’s office this week, with no response.
“The machete amnesty scheme, including the safe disposal bin, was designed in consultation with Victoria Police and with expert advice,” a government spokesperson said.
Machetes can vary in shape and size. Examples include, but are not limited to, the ones in this image.
The scheme has copped criticism and ridicule online, with many public figures, from MPs to comedians, taking to social media platforms suggesting it is absurd to believe a violent criminal would stop by their local bin to drop their machete in on their way to a crime.
The idea, though, is to remove the tools from households and properties to minimise the risk of them falling into the wrong hands and becoming weapons.
Exemptions to the ban apply for specific use, including for agricultural workers who use machetes as part of their job and for machetes that have a genuine traditional, historical, or cultural significance.
Victoria Police requests that the public carefully wrap machetes in boxes, cannisters or towels when transporting them to safe disposal bins, removing the packaging before depositing them.
9°C