New knife importation rules
The Hon Brendan O’Connor MP, Minister for Home Affairs and Justice, Minister for Privacy and Freedom of Information
Tuesday, 13 December 2011
Keeping dangerous weapons off our streets
Tougher laws to reduce the number of dangerous weapons, particularly knives, entering Australia will come into effect tomorrow, Minister for Home Affairs and Justice Brendan O’Connor announced today.
Knuckle dusters, ballistic or ‘firing’ knives, flick knives, butterfly knives, hand or foot claws and weighted gloves will be banned from import from tomorrow, unless the importer can prove that they have a legitimate use.
The regulations were a Gillard Government election commitment to introduce tougher controls to combat weapons-related crimes on our streets.
“We know that the community is concerned about knife crime and we have listened to those concerns,” Mr O’Connor said.
“There is no legitimate use for many of these weapons, and no reason for members of the public to have them.
“We are imposing a strict test on anyone wishing to import these items, and if they fail the test, they will not be able to import the weapon.”
Currently, people who want to import a prohibited weapon must obtain written permission to possess the item from state or territory police, and then apply to Customs and Border Protection for an import permit.
From tomorrow, 14 December, importers of high risk weapons must demonstrate a legitimate end-use to Customs and Border Protection for import permission to be granted - for example, for supply to the Australian military or a law enforcement agency.
“This will ensure that only people with a recognised, legitimate use will obtain permission to import prohibited weapons into Australia,” Mr O’Connor said.
“These measures demonstrate the Gillard Government’s commitment to protecting the Australian community by restricting the availability of dangerous weapons on Australian streets.”
Existing import requirements will be streamlined for lower risk weapons, such as nunchakus and daggers. For these items, importers will need to be authorised by the relevant state or territory police to possess the weapon in their jurisdiction. However, they will no longer be required to apply for an additional import permit from Customs and Border Protection.
Amendments to the Regulations will also be introduced to ensure that knives that can be opened using a spring, button, gravity or centrifugal force can only be imported in very limited circumstances.
Further information about the changes, including fact sheets, can be found at www.customs.gov.au
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