These are the faces of Melbourne’s knife violence. Their families are pleading for a quicker fix

The devastated sister of a young man killed in Melbourne’s deadly knife violence says the Allan government’s ban on machetes needs to be fast-tracked to save lives, as it is revealed 23 men under 25 have been killed in stabbings.

Twenty-three men aged under 25 have been stabbed to death since 2020.

The heartbroken sister of a young man killed in Melbourne’s deadly knife violence says the September ban on machetes needs to be fast-tracked to save lives.

It comes as the Herald Sun can reveal 23 men aged 25 and under have been stabbed to death in bloody and escalating knife violence plaguing the streets since the start of 2020.

The state government will outlaw the sale and possession of machetes from September 1 in what will become the nation’s first ban on the deadly murder weapons.

But the families of young men killed in Melbourne’s ongoing knife violence have called on Jacinta Allan to implement the ban immediately to prevent more traumatic deaths.

Faiza Mahat, the older sister of Khalid, who was killed in a vicious revenge attack in 2022, said the bill needed to be passed “as soon as possible”.

“That’s too long, that’s quite a long way away,” she told the Herald Sun.

“In the meantime, the months coming, how many people have to lose their lives with a machete? Every day it is on the news. Melbourne is becoming a scary place.

“The sooner we get (the ban) in the better, no other humans should lose their lives to machetes.”

Khalid Mahat, 25, died after he was stabbed to death at a North Crescent home in Heidelberg West.

Ms Mahat’s younger brother, Khalid, was kicked, punched and stabbed in a roadside revenge attack at Heidelberg West in 2022.

He suffered stab wounds to his face, chest and limbs by four youths, who were all jailed for four years or less.

“No one (in government) understands how I feel because I lost someone close to me. Until they lose someone close to them, they won’t understand,” she added.

“No human being should be stabbed with a machete or knife, especially in Victoria. (But) it’s an everyday sort of thing.”

The cousin of young man Tomas Tran, who was fatally stabbed at Eaton Mall in Oakleigh, said there should be no reason for young people to be carrying the deadly weapons on the streets.

Her 20-year-old cousin was stabbed in the heart during a bloody clash between two groups which involved both machetes and knives in 2020.

Thomas Tran was fatally stabbed in Oakleigh’s Eaton Mall.

“The knife laws are not being followed, we should have stricter laws so people can’t do knife crime or bring prohibited weapons to hurt someone,” Stephanie told the Herald Sun.

“People can access and buy machetes online, all these crazy weapons just to (commit) crimes, it’s very bad.

“(We should also) have police doing more search warrants.

“I’ve seen a lot of news, it’s bizarre, people are getting stabbed every day.”

Their loved ones are just two of the 23 men aged 25 and under who have been stabbed to death since the start of 2020.

Four young men have already been allegedly murdered in knife violence so far this year, with the deaths of Nathan Mwanza, Karl Gruber-Terrick, Timothy Leek and Giew Ter Tuol.

Nine of the 23 stabbing deaths since the start of 2020 have occurred in Melbourne’s western suburbs, including three fatal stabbings in Wyndham Vale alone.

Three of the killings occurred in the CBD while a further three men were killed in regional areas such as Mildura, Morwell and Tooradin.

Timothy Leek was stabbed to death in Lyndhurst. Picture: Supplied

Police Minister Anthony Carbines said overseas jurisdictions took far longer to enforce their machete bans.

He said a three-month amnesty will run for those wanting to dispose of their weapons legally which will follow a public awareness campaign.

“Our thoughts are with every family that have been affected by knife crime — victims’ voices are the reason we are strengthening our laws,” he said.

“We take our advice from Victoria Police on operational matters — who advise we can safely implement Australia’s first machete ban from September.

“While that work is underway, Victoria Police now have enhanced stop and search powers which are seeing thousands of more weapons taken off our streets.”

Victoria Police seized a record 14,797 knives, swords, machetes and daggers last year and have wiped 120,000 edged weapons from the streets over the past decade.

The anti-gang task force — Operation Alliance — have arrested 466 known youth gang members a combined 1,791 times.

Commander Tim Tully said 10 per cent of stabbing victims and 20 per cent of offenders over the past year were children.

“Carrying and using a knife leads to nothing but devastating outcomes such as life altering injuries, years in prison, or death,” he said.

“The repercussions of these actions never disappear for the friends and families of those who have been killed or imprisoned.

“These attacks most commonly involve disputes between young people who know one another, including rival gang members.”

Victorian Shadow Minister for Police David Southwick called for the state’s machete ban to be fast-tracked. Picture: NewsWire

On Monday, the Victorian opposition called for the state’s machete ban to be fast-tracked and implemented immediately, demanding there be “no more delays” and “no more excuses”.

Opposition police and corrections spokesman David Southwick slammed the government’s delay is “simply unacceptable” amid escalating knife violence.

“If machetes are deadly enough to ban, why are they still on sale? Labor’s delay makes no sense and puts lives at risk every single day,” he said.

“The Allan Labor government must listen to victims’ families who want these dangerous knives taken off the streets immediately. Every day of delay puts more lives at risk. Another four-month wait is four months too long.”

But despite pleas from the family members of people who had been killed by Victoria’s knife crisis, Premier Jacinta Allan remained adamant she wouldn’t bring forward the ban.

Ms Allan said Victoria Police had warned it would take six months for a machete ban to safely come into effect.

“I can absolutely understand that if you’ve lost a loved one at the hands of such a horrific crime, you want this done as soon as possible,” she said.

“It is such a devastating experience and my thoughts are with those family members. Indeed it’s their experiences that we’ve listened to.”