A former Victorian Young Australian of the Year who was recognised for his work improving Indigenous health care in prisons has been charged with a raft of offences after police allegedly seized 15 gel blasters, police uniforms and other imitation law-enforcement items from a property near Bendigo.

Darcy McGauley-Bartlett, 27, was arrested last month after police raided a property at Huntly, in Bendigo’s north.

Police allege the search uncovered more than a dozen gel blasters as well as police uniforms, fake handcuffs, batons and fake police certificates.

Mr McGauley-Bartlett has been charged with a number of offences, including possession of imitation firearms and police uniforms.

He has been granted bail and is due to return to Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on October 2.

The allegations have not been tested in court and Mr McGauley-Bartlett is entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Victoria Police said the arrest formed part of an ongoing investigation.

The case has attracted particular attention because of Mr McGauley-Bartlett’s public profile and his previous work with Victoria Police and within the Victorian justice and health systems.

He was named the 2023 Victorian Young Australian of the Year for his advocacy on Indigenous health care in prisons and his work aimed at reducing the number of Aboriginal young people entering the criminal justice system.

His official Australian of the Year profile describes him as a proud Gunai Kurnai man who overcame significant challenges in his youth to become a role model and advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Before receiving the award, Mr McGauley-Bartlett worked as an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer with Victoria Police.

According to his official award profile, he played a role in changing policy intended to ensure fewer Indigenous people entered the justice system and did not remain in it unnecessarily.

One of the initiatives most closely associated with his work was Victoria’s first Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program.

The program was designed to ensure Indigenous young people could be considered for a caution when coming into contact with the justice system for the first time.

His award profile also credits him with helping establish Victoria’s first Aboriginal Custodial Health team and the state’s first Aboriginal Primary Health Strategy for Indigenous prisoners.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was involved in health work with Aboriginal prisoners, including efforts to increase vaccine uptake and ensure Indigenous prisoners were represented in quality-improvement work across Victoria’s prison health system.

That history makes the current court proceedings an extraordinary turn in the career of a man who had become publicly associated with justice reform, policing and Indigenous advocacy.

The items police allegedly found during the Huntly raid are now at the centre of the case.

According to police, officers seized 15 gel blasters during the June 11 search.

Gel blasters are devices that fire small water-absorbing gel pellets. While they are sometimes regarded as recreational products or toy guns in other jurisdictions, Victorian authorities treat devices that resemble operable firearms as imitation firearms.

Victoria Police says gel blasters and similar devices with the appearance of an operable firearm are regulated as imitation firearms under the Control of Weapons Act 1990.

The distinction is important because a gel blaster’s appearance, rather than simply the material it fires, can bring it within Victoria’s weapons laws.

Police guidance states that a person found possessing a gel blaster that looks like an operable firearm can be charged with possession of an imitation firearm.

To lawfully possess an imitation firearm in Victoria, a person generally requires a Chief Commissioner’s Prohibited Weapons Approval or must fall within an applicable exemption.

However, Victoria Police’s Licensing and Regulation Division says it does not issue approvals for gel blasters and similar devices because it does not recognise a genuine reason to possess them.

The division specifically advises Victorians not to purchase gel ball blasters because possession may result in imitation firearm charges.

Victoria Police has also made clear that even people who already hold an approval relating to imitation firearms are not automatically entitled to possess gel blasters.

Police say existing approvals would need to specifically cover the reason for possessing, selling or using such a device, and special conditions can exclude gel blasters that resemble operable firearms.

The strict approach reflects concerns about realistic imitation weapons being mistaken for genuine firearms by members of the public or responding police officers.

A person confronted with a realistic replica may have no immediate way of knowing whether the weapon is capable of firing live ammunition.

For that reason, Victorian authorities have repeatedly warned that gel blasters should not simply be assumed to be toys.

In Mr McGauley-Bartlett’s case, the alleged seizure went beyond the 15 devices.

Police also allege they found police uniforms, batons, fake handcuffs and fake police certificates at the Huntly property.

ABC News reported that Victoria Police released footage of the arrest in which Mr McGauley-Bartlett’s face was blurred.

The precise circumstances surrounding the alleged possession of the items, including what police allege they were intended for, will be matters for the investigation and court process.

No court has made a finding that the items were used to impersonate a police officer or in the commission of another offence.

That distinction is significant. The fact that police allege a collection of imitation firearms and police-related items was located does not, by itself, establish how those items were used or why they were allegedly possessed.

Those questions may become clearer as the case progresses through Bendigo Magistrates’ Court.

Mr McGauley-Bartlett’s career before his arrest included several roles that placed him close to the institutions now connected to the case.

As an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer, he had previously worked for Victoria Police.

At the time he received his Young Australian of the Year honour, his public profile focused heavily on justice reform and Indigenous prisoner health.

ABC News reported that a now-deleted LinkedIn profile also listed him as holding a senior management position in the Victorian Department of Health’s Balit Murrup unit.

Balit Murrup is associated with Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing policy in Victoria.

A Victorian government spokesperson told the ABC it would be “inappropriate to comment” on whether Mr McGauley-Bartlett would continue in his position while the matter was before the courts.

His public profile had also extended beyond government and justice work.

In 2023, the same year he held the Victorian Young Australian of the Year title, Mr McGauley-Bartlett appeared as a panellist on ABC’s Q+A during discussion surrounding the Voice to Parliament referendum.

In 2025, he launched a podcast titled No Shame Just Truth with AJ Williams-Tchen, a director of Girraway Ganyi Consultancy.

The podcast was promoted as a platform for conversations about Aboriginal identity, lived experience and community issues.

Mr Williams-Tchen told the ABC he had not heard from Mr McGauley-Bartlett since the arrest and 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,” he said.

“He’s always been a great friend to me and we’ve worked on a couple of projects together.”

Mr Williams-Tchen said he was “not sure what’s happening with the podcast series”.

The ABC has contacted Mr McGauley-Bartlett for comment.

The charges could also raise questions about the status of his 2023 honour if the case ultimately results in a conviction.

A spokesperson for the National Australia Day Council told the ABC that an Australian of the Year honour could be revoked if a recipient was convicted of an offence carrying a maximum penalty of more than one year’s imprisonment.

The council has a formal withdrawal policy governing Australian of the Year awards.

However, Mr McGauley-Bartlett has not been convicted and there has been no announcement that his Victorian Young Australian of the Year honour has been withdrawn.

Any discussion of the award’s future therefore remains conditional on the outcome of the court process and the application of the council’s policy.

Mr McGauley-Bartlett’s official recipient page remained available on the Australian of the Year website following news of the charges.

It continues to describe him as an advocate for Indigenous health care in prisons and identifies him as the 2023 Victorian Young Australian of the Year.

The profile details his previous work in policing, youth cautioning and custodial health.

“Darcy has helped establish the State’s first Aboriginal Custodial Health team and the first Aboriginal Primary Health Strategy to improve health outcomes for Indigenous prisoners,” the profile states.

It also says he was pivotal in supporting health care for Aboriginal prisoners during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Australia Day Council originally announced Mr McGauley-Bartlett as Victoria’s 2023 Young Australian of the Year in November 2022, identifying his advocacy for Indigenous health care in prisons as a central reason for the recognition.

At the time, his work was presented as an example of a young Victorian using personal experience and professional roles to change government policy and improve outcomes for Indigenous people.

His Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program work was particularly highlighted because of the long-running issue of Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system.

The current charges do not erase that previous work, nor do those achievements determine the outcome of the criminal case now before the courts.

The two issues will remain legally separate, even as Mr McGauley-Bartlett’s public profile ensures they are likely to be discussed together.

For now, the central facts are that police allege 15 gel blasters and a range of police-related items were seized from a Huntly property, Mr McGauley-Bartlett has been charged, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The case is next scheduled to return to Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on October 2.

Until the charges are determined, the allegations against Mr McGauley-Bartlett remain unproven.