A Victorian government spokesperson acknowledged crime rates remained too high and there was more work to do, but told AAP the latest reforms were working.
This came as a 16-year-old boy recovers in hospital with stab wounds after he was involved in a fight outside a busy cinema complex at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne's west about 7pm on Wednesday.
A knife was located at the scene and seized by police, with a group of people fleeing the scene once police arrived.
Two other teenagers suffered minor injuries and did not require hospital treatment, while the 16-year-old boy was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
It comes a year since the Victorian government announced an Australian-first ban on the sale of machetes in the state, with data showing that a record amount of knives have since been taken off the streets.
Shoppers and workers ran for their lives in May 2025 when a wild fight broke out between machete-wielding rival gangs at Northland Shopping Centre.
The incident sparked widespread debate and led to law changes, including the ban that came into effect on September 1, alongside the introduction of the $13 million machete bin program.
"There were too many victims and not enough consequences - that's why we've delivered major reforms including Adult Time for Violent Crime, Australia's toughest bail laws and the nation's first ban on machetes with expanded police search powers," a government spokesperson told AAP.
Officers in 2025 seized almost 22,000 and edged weapons, equating to 48 knives, machetes and "zombie knives" per day.
About 3000 knives have already been seized this year, according to Victoria Police data provided to AAP on Thursday.
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson said Victorians felt progressively less safe in the state, adding they would introduce Jack's Law if it wins the election in November.
"This is a government that is not serious about the crime crisis," she said.
Paul Burke, chief executive of child safety organisation Les Twentyman Foundation, believed the machete bins had been effective to an extent, but said early intervention was always the best option for young people.
He said several high-profile knife crime deaths, including the fatal stabbing of a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old walking home from basketball in Cobblebank, had sent a message to young people.
"(Those) deaths had a bit of a cathartic effect for people realising that if you swing these blades around, people not only get injured, but they can die.
"That has resonated a little bit."
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