Nation Leading Knife Law Reforms

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (14:26): I seek leave to make a statement about nation-leading knife law reforms.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: The Labor government was proud yesterday to announce a package of reforms that will see South Australia have the toughest and most comprehensive knife laws in the country, to ensure we are doing all we can to protect the community and to ensure that our police have all the tools at their disposal to do their jobs.

This comprehensive package of reforms includes new powers for our police to conduct wanding searches at places like shopping centres. Police will have new powers to undertake wanding searches at public transport hubs and the police will have new wanding powers extended to public transport vehicles. These changes will allow police wanding powers at all licensed premises, and any person with a relevant history of weapon-related violence, or who is a member of a declared criminal organisation, will also be subject to these new police metal-detecting wanding powers at any time.

The sale of knives to minors under the age of 18 will be banned with no exceptions, unlike the bill we saw put up by the member for Hartley-led opposition. Further, the display of signage stating that knives cannot be sold to minors will be mandated at any retail premises selling prescribed knives. Reforms under the government bill will also require secure storage of certain knives in stores selling such knives.

Under the government's reforms new offences will be created for supplying a knife to a minor if the supplier knew or ought reasonably to have known that the minor intended or was likely to use the knife for the commission of an offence. Further, offences for carrying and using knives at schools and public places will also be significantly expanded to cover childcare centres, preschools, kindergartens, university and TAFE campuses.

These comprehensive reforms were developed following extensive discussion and consultation with SA Police and the community. Following the release of a discussion paper, the government received significant engagement, with over 100 YourSAy survey responses and 36 written submissions. This government will not hesitate to continue its history of making sure we are tough on these sorts of crime reforms and to do the hard work to keep our community safe, which is not mere lip service as we have heard sometimes from the opposition.

While the opposition's attempt at protecting our community from knife crime was to introduce a rushed, ill-thought-out bill with enforceability issues, which by itself would have had little effect, this comprehensive package of reforms is the government's thoughtful and legitimate action to make sure that South Australian knife crime laws are tough and effective and give the police the tools they need to keep our community safe.