THE State Government’s machete amnesty began on September 1, calling for Victorians to dispose of their machetes in dedicated bins at police stations, including one stationed outside of the Shepparton Police Station.
State Member for Shepparton District, Kim O’Keeffe, said she is appalled by the significant cost of the machete disposal bins, which are reported to have cost $13M for 45 bins around the state, with each bin costing nearly $290,000, alongside a three-month public awareness campaign.
“I don’t know how the government can justify this figure,” said Ms O’Keeffe. “Taxpayers deserve to know why the cost is so high. This is yet another example of financial mismanagement, and regional Victorian communities need genuine investment in policing and community safety, not wasteful spending on bins that will do nothing to address crime in the region.”
Ms O’Keeffe said that investing in more police officers and better bail reform would be more worthwhile than the machete bins. She also highlighted funding shortfalls in police mental health services and regional courts.
“Crime is escalating, Victorians are feeling unsafe, and yet millions are being spent on a scheme that won’t address crime,” she said. “Victoria Police remain critically underfunded and under resourced, with more than 1,100 frontline positions unfilled. These are the repercussions when $50 million was cut from the police budget.”
“It’s unrealistic to believe that gang members or criminals will voluntarily dispose of their weapons in a CCTV-monitored police station,” she said. “Why waste millions on bins when real police patrols and local support are needed?”
