Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has been slammed after unveiling new “machete bins” as part of her failed response to the state’s violent crime and African gang crisis.
Ms Allan announced on Thursday that the state government will place dozens of “safe disposal bins” for the weapons across Victoria as part of her government machete amnesty plan.
The program will see more than 40 of these bins placed at police stations across the state, with the receptacles able to be accessed 24/7 throughout the amnesty period, which will run from September 1 to November 30.
The amnesty allows people to lawfully hand in any machetes they may have “without penalty” and aims to reduce knife crime, with Ms Allan declaring on Thursday: “We have done this because we want to get these knives off the streets because ‘these knives destroy lives’.”
Machetes destroy lives and we’re taking them off the streets.
More than 40 safe disposal bins will be available 24/7 at police stations across Victoria to allow people to safely and securely dispose of these weapons.
Available from 1 September. pic.twitter.com/AoJn8j9CS6
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) July 31, 2025
The amnesty period coincides with the start of the state government’s machete ban, which was brought in after a series of alleged violent incidents, many involving African or other ethnic gangs.
From 1 September it will be illegal in Victoria to “own, use, carry, transport, sell and buy machetes” unless you “are covered by an exemption or valid approval”. Possession of a machete may lead to two years in prison or a fine of more than $47,000.
“Our message to anyone with these weapons is simple – get rid of them or face the consequences. From 1 September, owning, carrying, using, buying, or selling a machete without a valid exemption or approval will be a criminal offence,” Ms Allan said.
But many Victorians mocked Ms Allan over the bin announcement, saying they were likely to be ineffective and said teenage gang members with no respect for the law would be unlikely to hand their weapons in.
Sky News Australia host Steve Price was among the plan’s critics, calling it “stupid” and “one of the most ridiculous political ideas I think I have ever heard of”.
Author and independent journalist Fred Pawle said “the Victorian government solves a serious problem with an empty metal box and a slogan” and added: “We are governed by complete retards.”
Many other Australian responded to Ms Allan by saying she should focus on deporting foreign criminals.
“We’ve had machetes in Australia since we conquered it- they weren’t a problem until you and your corrupt cronies started bringing in 3rd world scum,” one angry Aussie wrote.
“Machetes don’t destroy lives, people destroy lives and at the moment, multiculturalism is destroying the lives of many Australians. When are you going to put born and bred Australians first?” asked another.
“You are a complete moronic clown if you believe criminals are going to voluntarily hand in their machetes,” said a third.
Ms Allan brought the machete sale ban forward after African gang members wielded machetes during a brawl at Northland Shopping Centre in late May, but machete violence has continued, resulting a man almost losing his arm during a robbery last month.
The announcement of the amnesty and machete ban comes as Victoria grapples with a substantial increase in knife crime and overall criminal incidents.
Figures released earlier this year show that youth crime is at the “highest levels ever recorded electronically” and that overall criminal offences were up 17.9%.
Victoria Police also revealed they were seizing an average of 44 of these weapons a day, and that knife seizures have risen by 31% over the last decade.
Header image: Left, one of the new machete bins. Right, a machete-wielding African at Northland Shopping Centre (supplied).
