[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":264},["ShallowReactive",2],{"active-categories":3,"blowouts":28,"story-\u002Fstories\u002Fmachete-ban-13-million-bins":83,"related-\u002Fstories\u002Fmachete-ban-13-million-bins":226,"surround-\u002Fstories\u002Fmachete-ban-13-million-bins":259},[4,6,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27],{"category":5},"follow-the-money",{"category":7},"cost-of-living",{"category":9},"government-waste",{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":5},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},[29,39,49,58,66,75],{"path":30,"title":31,"category":9,"date":32,"blowout":33},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbom-website-96-million-one-year-on","One year on: the BOM website that cost $96.5 million, not $4 million","2026-10-24",{"project":34,"originalCost":35,"currentCost":36,"announced":37,"note":38},"BOM website",4100000,96500000,"2025","$4.1m was the figure first given to the public.",{"path":40,"title":41,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":43},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcross-river-rail-cost-blowout-19-billion","Cross River Rail was sold as a $5.4 billion project. The government now says it costs $19 billion","2026-10-25",{"project":44,"originalCost":45,"currentCost":46,"announced":47,"note":48},"Cross River Rail",5400000000,19041000000,"2017","Queensland Government figure (Oct 2025). It includes 25 years of tunnel maintenance and network works; Labor disputes counting them.",{"path":50,"title":51,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":52},"\u002Fstories\u002Fhunter-class-frigates-27-billion-three-ships","Hunter-class frigates: sold as nine warships for $35 billion. We're now paying $27 billion for three",{"project":53,"originalCost":54,"currentCost":55,"announced":56,"note":57},"Hunter-class frigates",35000000000,45600000000,"2018","2020 Force Structure Plan estimate for nine ships. The program is now six ships; close to $27bn is allocated for the first three, including the Osborne shipyard.",{"path":59,"title":60,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":61},"\u002Fstories\u002Finland-rail-cost-blowout-45-billion-parkes","Inland Rail was sold as a $10.7 billion project. It now costs $45.6 billion, and stops at Parkes",{"project":62,"originalCost":63,"currentCost":55,"announced":64,"note":65},"Inland Rail",10660000000,"2015","Both P90 estimates for the full Melbourne to Brisbane line. Only Beveridge to Parkes is now being built.",{"path":67,"title":68,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":69},"\u002Fstories\u002Fnorth-east-link-cost-blowout-26-billion","North East Link was sold as a $10 billion road. It now costs $26 billion",{"project":70,"originalCost":71,"currentCost":72,"announced":73,"note":74},"North East Link",10000000000,26100000000,"2016","Victoria's December 2023 estimate. Includes the Eastern Freeway and M80 upgrades added since.",{"path":76,"title":77,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":78},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsnowy-2-0-cost-blowout-25-billion","Snowy 2.0 was sold as a $2 billion project. It could now cost $25 billion",{"project":79,"originalCost":80,"currentCost":81,"announced":47,"note":82},"Snowy 2.0",2000000000,22200000000,"Target cost. Up to $25bn with contingency; transmission not included.",{"id":84,"title":85,"author":86,"bigNumber":87,"bigNumberLabel":88,"blowout":89,"body":90,"category":9,"date":200,"description":201,"draft":202,"extension":203,"featured":202,"focusKeywords":204,"image":205,"imageAlt":206,"meta":207,"navigation":208,"path":209,"people":210,"readingTime":194,"refresh":89,"seo":211,"shareImage":89,"sources":212,"stem":219,"tags":220,"updated":89,"__hash__":225},"stories\u002Fstories\u002Fmachete-ban-13-million-bins.md","The $13 million machete ban: what the money actually pays for","Aussie Outrage","$13m","Budgeted for Victoria's machete ban, including about 45 disposal bins",null,{"type":91,"value":92,"toc":192},"minimark",[93,106,111,122,132,143,147,150,153,156,160,163,173],[94,95,96,97,101,102,105],"p",{},"The 2025-26 Victorian budget set aside ",[98,99,100],"strong",{},"$13 million"," to bring in the state's machete ban. The most visible part of it was about ",[98,103,104],{},"45 steel disposal bins",", set up outside police stations so people could hand in machetes anonymously during a three-month amnesty.",[107,108,110],"h2",{"id":109},"what-the-bins-cost","What the bins cost",[94,112,113,114,117,118,121],{},"A claim went viral that each bin cost ",[98,115,116],{},"$325,000",". It came from dividing the $13 million by the number of bins, and AAP FactCheck rated it false. The government told AAP each bin cost about ",[98,119,120],{},"$2,400",", which AAP found was in line with the online price of a steel charity bin from a Victorian maker.",[123,124],"bar-chart",{":data":125,":decimals":126,"prefix":127,"source":128,"subtitle":129,"suffix":130,"title":131},"[{\"label\":\"About 45 bins at about $2,400 each\",\"value\":108},{\"label\":\"Rest of the $13 million\",\"value\":12892,\"highlight\":true}]","0","$","AAP FactCheck, 2025; Victorian government figure of about $2,400 per bin","Thousands of dollars","k","The bins are a small part of the $13 million",[94,133,134,135,138,139,142],{},"So the bins come to roughly ",[98,136,137],{},"$108,000",". That leaves almost ",[98,140,141],{},"$12.9 million"," for everything else.",[107,144,146],{"id":145},"where-the-rest-goes","Where the rest goes",[94,148,149],{},"In Parliament, Acting Speaker Daniela De Martino said: \"The entire project, that $13 million, includes public awareness, retailer education, manufacturing and installation.\"",[94,151,152],{},"What the government hasn't done is say how the money is split. AAP asked for a breakdown and didn't get one. Some parts of the program, including destroying the surrendered machetes, hadn't happened yet, so the final cost is still unknown.",[94,154,155],{},"The Nationals' Melina Bath called the spending an expensive stunt to manage bad headlines.",[107,157,159],{"id":158},"why-it-matters","Why it matters",[94,161,162],{},"Nobody is arguing the bins themselves were expensive. The problem is the other $12.9 million: a public program with a $13 million budget and no published breakdown of what it bought.",[94,164,165,168,169,172],{},[98,166,167],{},"Your share:"," $13 million works out to about ",[98,170,171],{},"$1.90 for every Victorian",".",[94,174,175],{},[176,177,178,179,186,187,172],"em",{},"Top photo: a machete amnesty disposal bin outside the Echuca police station, November 2025. Photo: Alison Newman, ",[180,181,185],"a",{"href":182,"rel":183},"https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-sa\u002F4.0",[184],"nofollow","CC BY-SA 4.0",", via ",[180,188,191],{"href":189,"rel":190},"https:\u002F\u002Fcommons.wikimedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFile:Machete_Amnesty_Safe_Disposal_Bin_in_Echuca.jpg",[184],"Wikimedia Commons",{"title":193,"searchDepth":194,"depth":195,"links":196},"",2,3,[197,198,199],{"id":109,"depth":194,"text":110},{"id":145,"depth":194,"text":146},{"id":158,"depth":194,"text":159},"2026-10-26","Victoria set aside $13 million for its machete ban and amnesty bins. The bins cost about $2,400 each. The government still hasn't said where the rest of the money goes.",false,"md",[],"\u002Fimages\u002Fmachete-amnesty-bin-echuca.jpg","A navy steel bin labelled Machete Amnesty Safe Disposal Bin outside Echuca police station",{},true,"\u002Fstories\u002Fmachete-ban-13-million-bins",[],{"title":85,"description":201},[213,216],{"title":214,"url":215},"AAP FactCheck: Claims Victoria's machete bins cost $325,000 are way off","https:\u002F\u002Faapnews.aap.com.au\u002Fnews\u002Fclaims-victoria-s-machete-bins-cost-325-000-are-way-off",{"title":217,"url":218},"The Nationals (Victoria): Melina Bath MP, Labor's machete madness wastes $13 million","https:\u002F\u002Fvic.nationals.org.au\u002Fmedia-releases\u002Fmelina-bath-mp-labors-machete-madness-wastes-13-million\u002F","stories\u002Fmachete-ban-13-million-bins",[221,222,223,224],"machete-ban","victoria","knife-crime","budget","mqnqRlRSqkG_lvh-eANmSdygmVc4s2OZ4zRbeLfXXeY",[227,235,243,251],{"path":228,"title":229,"description":230,"date":231,"category":9,"author":86,"image":89,"imageAlt":89,"bigNumber":232,"bigNumberLabel":233,"readingTime":234,"featured":202},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsuburban-rail-loop-cost-96-billion","Suburban Rail Loop cost: $50bn promised, $96.4bn forecast","How much will the Suburban Rail Loop cost? $33.3bn for stage one, says the government, but the Auditor-General says it could top $36bn. Two stages: $96.4bn.","2026-11-01","$96.4bn","What Victoria's Parliamentary Budget Office estimated in 2024 it would cost to build two sections of the loop. All of it was promised for $50bn.",12,{"path":236,"title":237,"description":238,"date":200,"category":9,"author":86,"image":239,"imageAlt":240,"bigNumber":241,"bigNumberLabel":242,"readingTime":194,"featured":202},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbig-build-office-pot-plants-1-6-million","$1.6 million on pot plants for Big Build offices","Rail Projects Victoria spent an estimated $1.64 million on plant hire and maintenance, and the Suburban Rail Loop Authority almost $200,000 more, according to the state opposition.","\u002Fimages\u002Foffice-plants-desk.jpg","Small potted succulents on a timber office desk","$1.6m","Estimated spend on plant hire and maintenance at Rail Projects Victoria",{"path":244,"title":245,"description":246,"date":200,"category":9,"author":86,"image":247,"imageAlt":248,"bigNumber":249,"bigNumberLabel":250,"readingTime":194,"featured":202},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcommonwealth-games-cancelled-589-million","$589 million to host nothing: what cancelling the Commonwealth Games cost Victoria","Victoria pulled out of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to save money. The Auditor-General found walking away cost $589 million with no discernible benefit, and the $6.9 billion figure used to justify it was overstated.","\u002Fimages\u002Feureka-stadium-ballarat.jpg","An aerial view of Eureka Stadium in Ballarat, with a blue athletics track behind it","$589m","What Victoria paid to cancel the 2026 Commonwealth Games",{"path":252,"title":253,"description":254,"date":200,"category":9,"author":86,"image":255,"imageAlt":256,"bigNumber":257,"bigNumberLabel":258,"readingTime":194,"featured":202},"\u002Fstories\u002Fmetro-tunnel-plaques-70000-replaced","$70,000 to fix the wording on Metro Tunnel plaques","Commemorative plaques for the Metro Tunnel were replaced after errors were found in their wording, at a reported cost of about $70,000. Nobody has said who got it wrong or who paid.","\u002Fimages\u002Fmetro-tunnel-town-hall-platform.jpg","Orange arches above the crowded platform at Town Hall station in Melbourne's Metro Tunnel","$70k","Reported cost of replacing Metro Tunnel plaques after a wording error",[260,262],{"title":245,"path":244,"stem":261,"description":246,"children":-1},"stories\u002Fcommonwealth-games-cancelled-589-million",{"title":253,"path":252,"stem":263,"description":254,"children":-1},"stories\u002Fmetro-tunnel-plaques-70000-replaced",1793586230218]