Victorian retailers are clambering to remove prohibited machetes from store shelves, as an Australian-first ban on the sale of the weapons comes into effect.
Premier Jacinta Allan announced the fast-tracked ban on Monday after a terrifying weekend of knife crime saw a Melbourne shopping centre locked down and three alleged youth gang members hospitalised.
Enforced as of midday today, the measures imposes an interim ban on the sale of cutting edge knives with a blade longer than 20 centimetres, excluding kitchenware.
READ MORE: Final person arrested over Melbourne shopping centre brawl
Under Australian consumer law, such bans can only be put in place on an interim basis, Allan said.
September 1 will mark the beginning of an amnesty period for total machete possession ban statewide.
But concerns surround how the ban will be enforced before then.
The AFP and Victoria Police are collaborating to monitor online sales of blades coming from interstate and overseas.
But local traders claim they’ve been left to police the issue themselves, scrambling to measure stock and take it off the shelves.
“My understanding is that the enforcement in that space – we have retailers that are selling machetes in defiance of the interim ban – that will be something for the Consumer Affairs taskforce to look into,” Victoria Police commander Tim Tully said.
Meanwhile, Premier Jacinta Allan has come under fire for previous claims the machete ban could not be brought forward.
The government advised retailers to store excess stock “in a safe location” until the amnesty period begins on September 1.
“We recognise the interim sales ban affects your existing stock and sales – but we must get these knives off shelves, off streets, and out of our lives,” the state government said in a release.
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