Two boys aged 15 and 12 were fatally stabbed by a trio armed with machetes and long-bladed knives while walking home from a basketball stadium in Cobblebank, Victoria, in an attack that has intensified public criticism of a recently introduced statewide ban on machetes.
The boys, identified in reports as 15-year-old Dau Akueng and his 12-year-old friend, were attacked on Saturday night about 33 kilometres west of Melbourne’s central business district. Both suffered critical injuries and died within metres of each other, Victoria Police said. The force subsequently described the incident as likely a case of mistaken identity and said the investigation is ongoing.
The deaths came roughly a week after state authorities rolled out a machete ban and placed amnesty boxes at police stations across Victoria as part of a three-month effort to dry up the supply of large blades. The law makes it illegal to possess, use, carry, transport or sell specified knives and machetes without an exemption or valid approval. Convictions can carry penalties of up to two years in jail or fines exceeding A$47,000.
Victoria’s Police Minister, Anthony Carbines, urged residents to hand in weapons during the amnesty, which was fast-tracked after a high-profile altercation between rival groups at Melbourne’s Northland Shopping Centre earlier this year. More than 40 safe-disposal bins have been installed at police stations to allow people to surrender machetes without penalty, state authorities said.
The new measures have been accompanied by stepped-up enforcement. Officials reported that police seized 14,805 edged weapons in 2024, with an additional 8,900 confiscated between January and July of the current year. Since May, a task force has conducted 573 in-store and online inspections and about 2,400 market stall inspections, finding a high level of compliance with the sales ban, authorities said.
Despite those figures, the double killing prompted an immediate backlash on social media and elsewhere, with critics saying the ban and the amnesty bins were insufficient to prevent violent incidents. Several posts cited the timing of the attack and questioned whether the measures are effectively reducing the number of weapons in circulation.
Dau Akueng’s father, Elbino Akueng, rejected suggestions that his son was involved in gang activity. Speaking to the Herald Sun, he said his son was a basketball player who “loved to joke around” and that the family and community deserved answers. “My son is just gone...like this,” he said.
Premier Jacinta Allan has urged parents to hand in any knives or machetes belonging to their children, noting that children account for about 25 percent of knife-crime offenders in the state. The laws include exemptions for agricultural workers who require machetes for their jobs and for items that have genuine traditional, historical or cultural significance.
South Australia enacted a similar ban on machetes and swords earlier this year, and Victoria’s laws are among the strictest in Australia. Authorities say the combined measures — the ban, amnesty and increased inspections — are designed to reduce availability and make prosecutions easier.
Victoria Police said the Cobblebank killings remain under active investigation and asked anyone with information to come forward. The state government has defended the new rules as part of a broader strategy to curb knife crime, while critics say more direct action is needed to prevent further deaths and to address community concerns about youth violence.
Media organisations seeking comment from Premier Allan were told inquiries had been made. Police and state officials have continued to publicly encourage the surrender of illegal blades and reiterated that work to enforce the ban and to monitor compliance will continue.