A push for stricter knife laws that will create fresh criminal offences for parents whose kids have been caught with weapons has been slammed as out of touch and damaging to families.
The NSW government is considering tougher knife-crime penalties after a spate of high-profile attacks shocked Sydney.
Premier Chris Minns said he was not prepared to rule anything out and would review legislation following the incidents, which included a teenager's alleged attack of a priest in a western Sydney church.
An 18-year-old man was fatally stabbed near a primary school on April 12, leading to murder charges being laid against a trio of boys - the youngest of whom was 15.
NSW Police have suggested in a submission to a Sentencing Council review the government should make it an indictable offence for any parent to allow their child to illegally possess a knife.
Parents who allow children to carry knives face a maximum penalty of $550.
The Health Services Union said laws needed to better protect paramedics and all health workers, particularly when on the streets.
‘‘It seems to have become normalised, especially among young men, that you put your jeans on, you put your running shoes on, and you slip your knife into your back pocket," union secretary Gerard Hayes told AAP.
"You’re not going to eradicate every risk but if you can minimise it you should.’’
But youth advocacy groups have concerns over increasing penalties.
The Law Society's submission recommended increased investment in early intervention initiatives, restorative justice and rehabilitation programs.
Youth Justice NSW found higher maximum penalties for weapons offences would be "unlikely to have a deterrent effect".
"Violent crimes involving firearms or knives where the person of interest or offender is 10-17 years old have been steadily decreasing over a 20-year period from 2002-2022," its submission read.
The NSW Council for Civil Liberties said demonising parents of children who have been accused of criminal offences will only further marginalise families and put children at increased risk.
Council president Lydia Shelly blasted the position of NSW police as "out of touch" and pointed towards Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data indicating knife crime was declining in the state.
"Charging parents on the basis that their child has committed an offence oversimplifies the intricate circumstances surrounding children who have contact with the criminal justice system," she said.
Criminalising parents could jeopardise their employment, destabilise their housing situation and disrupt their ability to maintain custody of their children, she said.
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said parents had a role to play in reducing knife crime.
"If parents knowingly let their children out the door with a dangerous weapon, like a knife, then yes, they should have the book thrown at them," he told Seven's Sunrise program.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton hailed Queensland's "wanding" powers, which allowed police to use hand-held metal detectors without warrants in night precincts, transit hubs and on public transport.
The reforms, introduced as part of a crackdown on youth crime, have led to more than 500 weapons seized since the laws were introduced in March 2023.
