Dear Jim,
Welcome to the newer even bigger Nanny State here in Australia. Here is some information with regards to new national knife laws coming into force soon. ( I believe about six weeks ). For all your readers it will be of interest that the Australian Federal Government is going to ban all imports of the following: multitools, lockback folders such as Old Timer, Schrade etc, Swiss army knives, and Wenger army knives.
Never mind the fact that pocket knives and Swiss army knives have been used in Australia for over a century without trouble, but because of the explosion of knife attacks over the last few years, the responsible are being punished because of the idiots, first they disarmed us [of firearms], now they are going to the next level.
Of course the law sensible people won’t comply or even register with the new laws, but what happens when your Gerber or Leatherman multitool needs repairs in the USA? You may be able to send it out of Australia, but it will get confiscated on the return leg!
The New South Wales Police are now requesting the name and address of all bona fide collectors. (Next will be all the bigger knives such as Ka-Bar, CRKT, et cetera.) Please note the Australasian Knife Collectors (AKC) refused to comply with supplying to the authorities peoples’ names and addresses.
JWR Replies: Some Australians may consider this new law “the last straw”, and wisely choose to emigrate. Sadly, 99.99% of the population won’t. They will remain, like the proverbial frog in the soup pot.