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Sharpening Our Approach to Weapons Controls – Regulation Impact Statement – Australian Customs and Border Protection Service

On 13 December, the Minister for Home Affairs and Justice announced laws to reduce the number of dangerous weapons, particularly knives, entering Australia. The regulations were a Government election commitment to introduce controls to combat weapons-related crime and will align border laws with existing state and territory regulations. Knuckle dusters, ballistic or ‘firing’ knives, flick knives, butterfly knives, hand or foot claws and weighted gloves will be banned from import unless the importer can prove that they have legitimate use. Existing import requirements will be streamlined for lower-risk weapons and importers will need to be authorised by the relevant state or territory police to possess the weapon in their jurisdiction.   A Regulation Impact Statement was prepared by the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service and was assessed as adequate by the Office of Best Practice Regulation.