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Melina Bath denounces Allan government’s $13M machete amnesty as wasteful, ineffective stunt

Melina Bath slammed the Allan government’s $13 million machete amnesty as wasteful, ineffective, and politically motivated, criticising costly bins, media stunts, and lack of real impact on knife crime.

By news@gippsland - 17th December 2025 - Back to News

The Nationals’ Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath has slammed the Allan Labor government for blowing $13 million on its short lived "machete amnesty". "This policy and its $13 million price tag was an expensive stunt to manage negative headlines. It’s done little to curb knife crime, and now Labor’s machete bin policy is scrap metal after just three months."

Melina Bath said taxpayers deserve answers as Labor’s $13 million machete amnesty wasted money on bins, media stunts, and ineffective measures

Costly metal fiasco

Ms Bath said taxpayers deserve answers on how 45 metal bins ended up costing Victorians millions, with the Allan government celebrating a program that could have been achieved at any local police station from day one.

"Only the Allan government could spend millions on customised bins and a three month media circus before quietly removing them. With the bins and money long gone, Labor expects Victorians to applaud its effort while crime continues on our streets. It is naïve to think criminals harbouring machetes would hand in their weapons in front of police stations with CCTV surveillance - the only people handing them in were law abiding Victorians."

"All this program delivered was three months of photo opportunities for the Premier. After all of Labor’s pageantry, the process to hand in illegal machetes is what it should have been from the beginning - call ahead and hand your machete in at your local police station by appointment. Victorians deserve answers on why this program cost them $13 million," she said. Labor can’t manage money, and Victorians are paying the price.

Pictures from Melina Bath MP Facebook page.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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