Former Victorian Young Australian of the Year charged over imitation guns

Former Victorian Young Australian of the Year Darcy McGauley-Bartlett was arrested and charged with a raft of offences last month, including possession of police uniforms and more than a dozen imitation firearms. He received the award in 2023 for his advocacy for Indigenous health care in prison and for his work in creating the state's first Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program. What's next? Mr McGauley-Bartlett was granted bail to appear at Bendigo Magistrates' Court on October 2. Former Victorian Young Australian of the Year Darcy McGauley-Bartlett has been arrested and charged with a raft of offences, including possessing imitation firearms and police uniforms. The 27-year-old was arrested last month after police raided a property at Huntly in Bendigo's north, and said theyseized 15 gel blasters, police uniforms, fake handcuffs, batons and fake police certificates. Victoria Police shared footage of the arrest, with Mr McGauley-Bartlett's face blurred. Under Victorian law, gel blasters, which are toy guns often made to closely resemble real firearms, are prohibited weapons and require a firearms licence to possess. Mr McGauley-Bartlett, a Gunai Kurnai man, was awarded Victoria's Young Australian of the Year in 2023 for his advocacy for Indigenous health care in prison, and for his work in creating the state's first Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program. He was also a former panellist on a Q+A episode discussing the Voice to Parliament referendum in 2023. According to his now-deleted LinkedIn, he holds a senior management position at the Victorian Department of Health's Balit Murrup unit, which oversees Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing across the state over the next decade. A spokesperson for the state government said it would be "inappropriate to comment" on whether Mr McGauley-Bartlett would continue in this position as the matter was before the courts. In 2025, Mr McGauley-Bartlett launched a podcast titled No Shame Just Truth alongside AJ Williams-Tchen, director of Girraway Ganyi Consultancy. Mr Williams-Tchen said he had not heard from Mr McGauley-Bartlett since the arrest and that he was uncertain about the future of the podcast. "I've known him for 15 years and he's always been a fun-loving, caring person," Mr Williams-Tchen said. "He's always been a great friend to me and we've worked on a couple of projects together. "I'm not sure what's happening with the podcast series." The ABC has contacted Mr McGauley-Bartlett for comment. Victoria Police said the arrest was part of an ongoing investigation. Mr McGauley-Bartlett was granted bail to appear in Bendigo Magistrates' Court on October 2. A spokesperson for the National Australia Day Council said an Australian of the Year honour could be revoked if a recipient is convicted of an offence carrying a maximum penalty greater than one-year's imprisonment. ABC Central Vic —local news in your inbox Get our local newsletter, delivered free each Tuesday