Wednesday, 28 May 2025

Community safety

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:10): My question is to the Premier. Retailers have reported an overnight spike in machete sales. How is the community safer, given that under Labor government policy and failing to implement the ban earlier they are not being banned until September?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:10): As the member for Hawthorn knows, you cannot trust a word that the Leader of the Opposition says, so we will not take at face value the statement just made by the Leader of the Opposition, because I know from the work that the Minister for Consumer Affairs and the Minister for Police have been doing that they have been working with those retailers. Indeed we have been working with retailers since March. We have been working with them on not putting in orders for the stock and working towards the introduction of Australia’s first machete ban, starting with the amnesty in September of this year. In case the Leader of the Opposition missed the memo – missed it because his phone was turned off instead of being turned on to what was going on here in the house – as I have said repeatedly –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the Premier is debating the question.

Mary-Anne Thomas: On the point of order, Speaker, there is no point of order. The Premier was being entirely relevant in answering the question and being direct and factual.

The SPEAKER: I ask the Premier to come back to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: I did say this in the house yesterday, and I have said this on a number of occasions, but for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition I will say it again. The rollout of Australia’s first machete ban is being done as quickly and as safely as possible. That timing and rollout are based on the advice of experts and Victoria Police, not the Leader of the Opposition, who would compromise the safety of Victoria Police and who would be happy to see that safety compromised. I will not stand for that. I will support the work of Victoria Police. We know the Leader of the Opposition and those opposite are all about the politics on this issue; we are all about community safety.

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, the reality is there are more machetes on the street. I would ask, on relevance, for the Premier to come back to this very narrow question.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order. The Premier has concluded her answer.

Brad BATTIN (Berwick – Leader of the Opposition) (14:13): Premier, isn’t it a fact that if the Premier had made machetes a prohibited weapon in 2023 the Northland offenders would face two years in prison?

Jacinta ALLAN (Bendigo East – Premier) (14:13): Again this question from the Leader of the Opposition demonstrates he is all about the politics and not about the facts and not about community safety. The behaviour at Northland shopping centre on Sunday was illegal behaviour. It was already illegal behaviour, and the Leader of the Opposition –

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Nepean, I have warned you repeatedly today to cease interjecting across the table. This is your last warning.

Jacinta ALLAN: I will repeat again for the benefit of the Leader of the Opposition, lest he wants to make some mischief and politics with this issue, that the behaviour on the weekend at the Northland shopping centre was illegal behaviour, which is why Victoria Police have moved quickly and which is why people have been arrested. To say anything other than that –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was very narrow, about having prohibited machetes back in 2023. I would ask you to ask the Premier to come back to that very narrow question.

The SPEAKER: The Premier was being relevant to the question.

Jacinta ALLAN: To infer otherwise just demonstrates that the Leader of the Opposition is playing politics or out of his depth and not across the facts.