NSW doubles penalties for knife possession despite knife-related crime falling to 20-year low

NSW attorney general Michael Daley says the government has acted to address community concern about knife crime given high-profile stabbings. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAP

The New South Wales government’s plan to double the penalties for people holding or brandishing knives in public has been described as a “kneejerk” response to high-profile stabbings despite knife-related crimes being at a 20-year low in the state.

The changes introduced to parliament on Tuesday would see people caught with knives facing up to four years in jail or $4,400 in fines, with the penalty jumping to $11,000 if someone is caught wielding a knife in public or at a school.