Prohibited Weapons

A "prohibited weapon" is any weapon or article that a person may not possess without a permit issued by the Commissioner for Police for the relevant state or territory. Common examples from the NSW list relevant to martial arts practitioners are Nunchaku and side-handled batons (tonfa). Whilst listings of prohibited weapons vary from state to state, Police Ministers, in June 2001, put forward proposals calling for uniform National Prohibited Weapons Legislation. The AJKDA supports this move.

For martial arts practitioners who desire to instruct in the use of an article that may be prohibited in NSW, Victoria and ACT, there already exists a "Prohibited Weapons Permit" system that will only allow a permit to be issued to bona fide accredited martial arts instructors. For the purposes of this policy implementation, an "accredited instructor" is defined as a martial arts instructor who:

1. is an accredited instructor with the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (administered by the Australian Sports Commission) or
2. is an accredited instructor with the National Martial Arts Instructors Accreditation Scheme administered by the Martial Arts Industry Association (MAIA) or
3. is an accredited instructor with the Australian National Training Authority and is so qualified as a trainer under the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Act 1990.

For information on Accreditation, click on Instructor Accreditation in the menu bar.

The procedures concerning applying for a Prohibited Weapons licence in NSW and Victoria are detailed on application forms that may be downloaded from our Publications & Forms page.