QLD knife laws: How retailers will stop sales to under 18s

Retailers will soon be forced to take measures to prevent the sale of knives to under 18s, with the state government announcing when tough new laws will take effect. Here’s how it will work.

Laws banning the sale of knives to under-18s will come into effect in Queensland on September 1.

The changes mean shops will be forced to store knives in secure cabinets, request photo ID from customers before making sales and display signage regarding the prohibition of sales to juveniles.

It will also be an offence to use a false ID to purchase a knife.

Speaking outside a Woolworths outlet in Nerang on the Gold Coast on Wednesday, Police Minister Mark Ryan said the government was determined to send a message to young people that carrying knives was not acceptable.

“From the first of September anyone who sells knives in Queensland cannot sell those knives to anyone under 18,” Mr Ryan said.

“This is one of the most robust frameworks in the nation.

“It extends beyond knives to other controlled items like replica firearms – that includes gel blasters that look like replicas – but also machetes, axes, tomahawks. Anything that could be misappropriated for violence or to cause harm to others.

“ ... We don’t want a young person to think for any moment that it is appropriate to have a knife on their person in public.

“We need to get those messages through to young people.”

Police Minister Mark Ryan speaking with Brett Beasley from the Jack Beasley Foundation and Michael and Kerri-Lyn Bain from the Balin Stewart Foundation at Woolworths in Nerang. Picture: Keith Woods.

The measure comes in addition to the proposed expansion of Jack’s Law into shopping centres and sporting venues.

The law, named after Jack Beasley who was stabbed to death in Surfers Paradise in December 2019, allows police to search people at random for knives and in three years of operation has seen hundreds of weapons taken off Queensland streets.

Minister Ryan said police would also be given additional electronic handheld devices, or ‘wands’, to help enforce Jack’s Law.

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski hailed the new law banning the sale of knives to juveniles as a “significant achievement”.

“Our police will now be able to assist retailers to be able to prevent young people accessing knives that cause such problems in our community and such devastation when we lose someone. This is a really significant step forward,” he said.

Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski speaking at Nerang. Picture: Keith Woods.

Brett McClean from Woolworths at Nerang. Picture: Keith Woods.

Brett McClean from Woolworths said the supermarket giant had been working to put measures in place to enforce the new law, likening them to how the retailer already deals with restrictions around the sale of cigarettes and alcohol.

“In some of our businesses there are knives that will be restricted for sale, so they will have to go into locked areas within the store, similar to what we have with cigarettes for example,” he said.

“And then there’ll be photo ID required at the point of sale as well, similar to tobacco or alcohol.

“We already have those systems in place with those other restricted products that we’ll then be able to switch on to the new legislation as well.”

Mr McLean said Woolworths was happy to make the changes.

“I think this is a really wonderful initiative,” he said. “Anything that Woolworths can do to be supportive of making our workplace safer and our environment for our customers for shopping safer is a good thing to do.”

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Originally published as QLD knife laws: How retailers will stop sales to under 18s