WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Victoria’s machete disposal bins cost $325,000 each.
OUR VERDICT
False. The calculation method for the bin costs is incorrect. The government says the bins cost around $2400 each.
AAP FACTCHECK – Federal and state politicians are falsely claiming machete disposal bins installed across Victoria cost $325,000 each – or about the same as a Ferrari.
The figure has been miscalculated, dividing the $13 million budget for the entire machete amnesty program (which also includes an educational campaign and public awareness drive) by the number of bins installed across the state.
The Victorian government told AAP FactCheck the bins cost about $2400 each.
With a statewide ban on machetes now in force, the three-month amnesty scheme allows owners to dispose of their weapons anonymously.
Under the scheme, the government is funding education and awareness campaigns, the installation of machete deposit bins across the state, and plans for safe disposal.
The false claims about the cost of the bins have been made by the Victorian Liberal Party, including Opposition youth minister Nicole Werner.
In a Facebook video, Ms Werner compares the supposed $325,000 cost of each bin to a luxury sports car.
“$325,000 a pop – you could buy a Ferrari with that,” Ms Werner says. “$13 million for 40 bins – if you do the maths on that … that is $325,000 spent per bin, these bins that look like charity bins at an op shop.”
The Victorian Liberal Party has made the same claim on its Facebook page, while federal Liberal MP Jason Wood has also cited the figure in a widely shared post. “How could one machete bin cost $325K?!” Mr Wood says in a Facebook post dated 14 August 2025.
Croydon MP David Hodgett and Eildon MP Cindy McLeish also circulated the $13 million cost claim in social media posts.
The false claims have spread more widely on social media too, with a series of commentators repeating the $325,000 figure.
Neither Mr Wood nor Ms Werner responded to AAP FactCheck’s request for evidence, though Ms Werner does detail how the $325,000 was calculated in her post.
She divides the $13 million in funding allocated to the whole machete amnesty program in the 2025/26 Victorian budget by 40, which is close to the number of disposal bins (45) installed by the state government.
This method, however, drastically overestimates the cost of each bin because the $13 million program funding covers more than just the bins themselves. A briefing provided to Victoria’s Public Accounts and Estimates Committee in June 2025 details a series of other elements to be funded with the $13 million (page three), including a public awareness campaign and an education program focused on machete retailers.
The bins are a small part of the overall funding package, costing about $2400 each, data sent to AAP FactCheck by the Victorian government reveals.
AAP FactCheck requested further detail, including a detailed breakdown of how much each element of the scheme will cost, but no data was provided. As some elements of the program haven’t yet taken place, including the safe disposal of surrendered machetes, the final budget cost is unclear.
The $2400 price tag is, however, consistent with the price quoted online for steel charity bins by a prominent Victorian metal company.
The claim has also been addressed in the Victorian parliament, with acting speaker Daniela De Martino also citing the $2400 price per bin.
“The entire project, that $13 million, includes public awareness, retailer education, manufacturing and installation of the machete safe disposal bins,” she added (page 92).
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