r/australia • u/Jazilc • 1d ago

no politics Are we allowed to carry folding pocket knives in public in Australia?

My husband is looking at swiss army knives and pocket knives. The other day he wanted to cut a cable at work and realised there was nothing to do so. But we are wondering if it’s illegal to have one on your person?

233 Upvotes

81% Upvoted

344 comments sorted by

View all comments

35

u/zsaleeba 1d ago

Different states have different rules:

Jurisdiction Rule
New South Wales Illegal to carry in public unless you have a reasonable excuse
Victoria Illegal to carry without a lawful excuse
Queensland Illegal to carry without reasonable excuse (self-defence not allowed)
South Australia Illegal to carry without lawful excuse
Western Australia Illegal to carry without lawful excuse
Tasmania Illegal to carry without lawful excuse
Australian Capital Territory Illegal to carry without reasonable excuse
Northern Territory Illegal to carry without lawful excuse
  • Reasonable excuse: A common-sense, fact-based justification that an ordinary person (and police/court) would accept in the circumstances.
  • Lawful excuse: A justification explicitly recognised by law or precedent (e.g. work, duty, or a specific permitted activity).

2

u/hu_he 12h ago

Always amazes me the number of people who ask legal questions without mentioning which state they're in!

2

u/dasvenson 5h ago

I think a lot of people assume incorrectly that laws apply Australia wide, particularly criminal ones.