Victoria's machete amnesty cost A$6.55 million as bins collected household blades
Freedom of Information records show butter knives and kitchen scissors were surrendered, while the government has not detailed all program spending.
Victoria's machete surrender program cost A$6.55 million, half its projected budget, with Freedom of Information documents showing household utensils were among the items deposited in collection bins.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety said the bins received 12,357 machetes and other knives, including butter knives. Retailers surrendered a further 5,674 machetes after sales were prohibited, bringing the reported total to 18,031 weapons. Records also show kitchen scissors, guns and axes were deposited.
The bins accompanied the statewide machete ban introduced in September 2025. Prisoners made 75 bins in the metal fabrication workshop at Mount Gambier Prison in South Australia, which is privately operated by G4S.
G4S received A$925,000 under a contract covering manufacture and installation, as well as the collection, transport, cataloguing and destruction of surrendered weapons. Deployment was reduced from a planned 58 police stations to 45, with spare bins used to replace damaged or full ones.
Separate contracts allocated A$884,000 to creative services and A$123,000 to market research for public messaging. The government has not explained how the rest of the budget was spent, although the program included a multilingual awareness campaign.
A department spokesperson said delivery was on schedule and below budget, with unspent funds redirected to more police and Protective Services Officers in shopping centres. Victoria Police said the bins reduced the safety risks posed by people carrying blades into station reception areas.
