Legal Self Defence Options in NSW and Victoria

Unfortunately if you live in NSW or Victoria your options for self defence are extremely limited, this coupled with rising violent crime rates and dwindling police numbers is a recipe for disaster. Average police response time in NSW is 12 minutes and 20 minutes in Victoria , leaving a large window for you to survive in or help others while out. So what tools do we have legally at our disposal to not remain targets for criminals or terrorists? The short answer is nothing legally. Any object or tool that is “for the purpose of self defence” is actually illegal to carry, because the intent is to use harm with it according to Australian laws.However there is a way to get around this , legally.Knives are impossible to carry legally even if you use them as a tool. The only few legal cases may be if you are a chef, cook or kitchen hand carrying a knife roll (bag) , this will make accessibility difficult , but they should be able to be accessed in a pinch. Additionally if you work in logistics , warehouses or retail , you can carry a box cutter for the purpose of opening stock or boxes, “forgetting” it's in your pocket after a long day's work or keeping it in your bag may give you more legal sway. 

Pepper spray, Marking spray, tasers, battens and body armour are all illegal , don't even try to fight the case because the laws are so stacked against items specifically designed for self defence, this includes kubatons and other self defence weapons. 

Tactical pens are fully legal as long as they can write and don't have any blades. It's one of my personal EDC that I take with me. High lumen torches make excellent legal EDC for self defence , above 2000 lumens can really give you an edge , they make good knuckle reinforcement, or makeshift kubatons - some even have grooves designed to deal damage on impact for extra defence. Umbrellas and walking sticks are excellent discreet options that are legal to carry. You can find steel options for both that can make great force multipliers. 

Lastly .. Improvised Weaponry. ANY and all objects can be used for the purpose of self defence provided they were not carried on your person, before the encounter and that the force used is equivalent to the threat. For example  If I am attacked by 2 men , much bigger than me and I use a knife that is sitting on the table to stab both of them once, make sure they are alive and call emergency services , this would be a legal justification of self defence.

However if i pick up a knife from the table , put it in my pocket and then later use it on 1 person i deemed a threat by attacking them multiple times even after they submitted and i don't call emergency services, this will not be classified as self defence, regardless of the reason.

Many people fall for the same distinction with household weaponry and home invaders.

You CANNOT attack a home invader with a katana you have in the living room , because this will likely be seen as excessive use of force with a weapon -Regardless of how ridiculous that is.

However , if I use a microwave and smash it over an attacker's head , it will be much easier to claim self defence. Similarly if i am trained and i can gain control of the attackers weapon, the self defence claim will be much easier to justify.

Bottom line is that in Australia , Skills, observation and preparedness are your greatest LEGAL self defence tool. Always be on the lookout for weapons of opportunity that you can use if you need to and make sure you have the skills to be able to use them.

Incidentally , if you want to learn some of the skills to be able to use them, come by Ogi Dojo in Padstow, Sydney for some training in combatives with me!

Peace! - Mike