MELBOURNE — A group of youths was involved in an alleged altercation with machetes at Flinders Street station in Melbourne on Saturday night. Commuters evacuated the concourse during the incident while Protective Services Officers responded to the scene.
Officers boarded a train where they arrested four boys and seized machetes. Two additional individuals were arrested near the station precinct. A 17-year-old boy sustained an arm laceration and was transported to a hospital. Police charged a 22-year-old man with affray, reckless cause injury, assault with a weapon, and possessing a prohibited weapon. He was granted bail and is scheduled to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on 27 November. Five other males detained, aged 13, 14, 15, and two aged 16, were released.
Government minister Harriet Shing stated on Sunday that various policies are contributing to a reduction in crime statistics. Shing cited changes to bail laws, a machete ban, new post-and-boast laws, and the introduction of a violence reduction unit as factors. "What we are doing is working." Shing said. "There's always more work to do, but we do know that the work that police are doing is having an impact, that the machete ban is having an impact."
The Victorian government reported that approximately 18,000 weapons were surrendered or seized following a 2025 amnesty program. Additionally, around 17,000 machetes were removed from retail inventory as a result of the same amnesty program.
Opposition spokesperson David Southwick, however, claimed that knife attacks have continued to increase in the state. "Victorians want [a] response, they want consequences, and it's clear that the machete policies of the government simply have not worked." Southwick said. He also stated, "You've got teenagers that are literally putting the finger at the government because they know there's no consequences."