There are two levels of Australian knife legislation:- Commonwealth, and State.
Under Commonwealth law it is illegal to import certain items of weaponry, including "daggers".
The Commonwealth Act carries a definition of "dagger" that seems to have been drafted with the Fairburn -Sykes dagger specifically in mind, and there are a number of bases which would provide solid legal argument against its application to most of the knives that we think of as "daggers", and that are currently stopped at the Australian border. I think it is possible that a challenge was mounted some time ago in respect of hunting knives with a false edge, which Australian Customs had deemed to be "double edge", and a favourable outcome was achieved.
However, for all practical purposes, the magic number is 40cm.
The combined Australian heads of State Police forces have determined that a weapon with two edges and shorter than 40cm., is concealable, longer than 40cm., it is not concealable.
Since the Commonwealth legislation requires that a knife with two edges must be concealable to be refused entry to Australia, the Australian Customs Service has adopted as a guideline the length of 40cm. to determine whether or not a double edged knife is concealable.
The 40cm. is taken from the end of the handle, to the tip of the blade.
It is important to note that this is a guideline, and is not written into legislation, thus it can be ignored in certain instances, and by individual Customs Officers, resulting in the knife in question being refused entry.
Apart from the "dagger" rule, there are other types of knives that are prohibited imports under Commonwealth legislation.
Additionally, legislation relating to knives varies from state to state, thus a particular type of knife may be allowed to enter Australia through the port of Sydney, which is in NSW, but may be denied entry through the port of Melbourne, which is in Victoria.
If one maintains an interest in edged weaponry in Australia, it is wise to be a member of a suitable organisation, such as the Australian Knife Collectors (AKC), or the Australian Antique Arms Collectors Society, or preferably, both.
In respect of postal items, within the last few months ---possibly as long as 12 months--- a system has been introduced that ensures every postal item entering Australia is x-rayed. Parcels are only opened if the x-ray examination raises a doubt. There is a relatively high degree of certainty that no prohibited item can enter Australia by post.
However, in spite of all these draconian restrictions, in some states at least, and perhaps in all states, avenues do exist to allow genuine collectors or other defined persons to possess these prohibited items.Thus, it is entirely possible that depending upon the individual status of a person he may be permitted to import and possess an item that would otherwise be refused entry to Australia.
The above treats Customs legislation in respect of Prohibited Imports, and touches upon State legislation in respect of Prohibited Weapons.Apart from these areas of legislation there is also legislation that covers Australia's quarantine laws, which are very probably the most restrictive in the world. The import of ethnographic weaponry into Australia requires a fairly high degree of knowledge of the relevant laws in order to proceed without hinderance.
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