The American embassy in Canberra now warns its citizens that travelling to Australia carries US-style safety risks of random violence.

Since the weekend I have visited twice a shopping centre, not my usual one and seen on each occasion persons with knives atteched to their belt. One an aged man with a pig knife attached to his belt, I would think for self protection, and today a young aboriginal worker in the street with a 200 mm long knife in his belt I would say for work. However neither should be carrying a knife in a public place.

Hi Josephus,
The aboriginal worker carrying a knife in the course of his employment is legal.
The old guy in the shopping centre carrying a knife for self defence is illegal.

"that is just not the way of British/European Australians."

Well thank God for Martin Bryant. Queensland 2023, Christian fundamentalist belief system, known as Premillennialism" results in 2 police officers and a neighbour shot dead. This blinked, minds eye view of things by our resident forum radical apologists. I can see why he voted for Corny Banana! And now bangs on about the virtues of One Nation and the Lovely Pauline!

Josephus,

What makes you say one had a knife for protection, and the other for work.

Guessing?

But, it is illegal to carry any type of knife in a public place in Australia, except for utility knives such as a Swiss Army knife or a pocket knife with a blade no longer than 10cm.

Both of the people you saw should have been reported to police.

What is the state of mental health services for people in crisis? Andrew Cauchi tried to take his son's knives for fear of being killed with them. Surely for someone at risk of harming themselves or others there should at least be a crisis care assessment?

I have heard of cases of mentally ill people with knives being shot dead when the police were called.