Tuesday, 26 August 2025

Community safety

David LIMBRICK (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (00:32): (1864) My adjournment matter this evening is for the attention of the Minister for Police. When this Parliament debated the Terrorism (Community Protection) and Control of Weapons Amendment Bill 2024 earlier this year, the first question in the committee stage of the debate was related to exemptions. Minister Erdogan, in his response, gave a clear indication that the government expected that they would need to grant exceptions to the new machete ban, as the definition was very broad. Well, this evening I am flagging one area that may have been overlooked. Members of the Australian circus and busking community have become increasingly concerned that they may be caught up in these prohibitions. Many performers, including street performers, use juggling knives as part of their acts. Many of these have dulled edges but not always. These are, however, clearly for entertainment purposes, and the machete bans are not directed at preventing Australian and international performers from entertaining people on the street. My request for the minister is to work with Live Performance Australia, Theatre Network Australia and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance to ensure that an appropriate exemption is granted to allow circus arts to continue to flourish in Victoria.