Multiple teenagers have been arrested following an alleged machete brawl at Flinders Street station in Melbourne on Saturday night, prompting commuters to flee for safety. Protective Services Officers boarded a train at the station, seizing machetes and detaining four boys.
A 17-year-old boy was taken to hospital with a laceration to his arm sustained during the incident. Police charged a 22-year-old man with affray, reckless cause injury, assault with a weapon and possessing a prohibited weapon. He was bailed to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on 27 November.
The remaining five suspects, aged 13, 14, 15 and two 16-year-olds, were released without charge. The Victorian government defended its machete ban, with Minister Harriet Shing stating that changes to bail laws and the ban were showing results in reduced crime statistics.
“What we are doing is working,” Shing told reporters on Sunday. The government reported that around 18,000 weapons had been surrendered or seized and 17,000 machetes removed from shelves since the 2025 amnesty.
However, opposition spokesperson David Southwick criticised the government, claiming knife attacks were escalating. “You’ve got teenagers that are literally putting the finger at the government because they know there’s no consequences,” he said, arguing that the machete policies had not worked.
