A former Victorian Young Australian of the Year has been charged with a raft of offences after police allegedly seized 15 gel blasters, police uniforms and other items during a raid on a property north of Bendigo.

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

Police allege the search uncovered more than a dozen imitation firearms alongside items associated with policing.

According to ABC News, officers said they seized 15 gel blasters, police uniforms, fake handcuffs, batons and fake police certificates.

McGauley-Bartlett has been charged with a range of offences, including allegations relating to the possession of imitation firearms and police uniforms.

He was granted bail and is due to appear at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on October 2.

The charges have not been proven in court and McGauley-Bartlett has not been convicted of the alleged offences.

The case has attracted national attention because of McGauley-Bartlett’s previous public profile and his recognition for work involving Indigenous people in Victoria’s health and justice systems.

He was named the 2023 Victorian Young Australian of the Year.

Police say 15 gel blasters were seized from the Huntly property

Police raided the property on June 11 as part of an investigation that Victoria Police says remains ongoing.

Footage of the arrest was released by police, with McGauley-Bartlett’s face blurred.

The items allegedly discovered during the search included 15 gel blasters.

Gel blasters fire small water-filled gel pellets and are sometimes marketed or described as recreational devices.

But their legal treatment varies significantly across Australia.

In Victoria, gel blasters that resemble operable firearms are treated as imitation firearms and fall within strict weapons controls.

Victoria Police says it does not currently issue approvals for gel blasters to individuals or organisations and states there is no lawful reason to possess or use them in the state.

The appearance of imitation firearms is a major concern for authorities because some devices can closely resemble genuine guns.

To a member of the public — or a police officer responding to an incident — the distinction may not be immediately obvious.

The alleged seizure of police-related items has added another dimension to the investigation.

Police say uniforms were among the property recovered.

Fake handcuffs, batons and fake police certificates were also allegedly seized.

Authorities have not publicly established in court what purpose the items allegedly served or how they were intended to be used.

Those questions remain matters for the investigation and court process.

McGauley-Bartlett was recognised for Indigenous health and justice advocacy

The allegations present a striking contrast with the public profile that brought McGauley-Bartlett national recognition.

The National Australia Day Council’s 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.

His work focused particularly on the intersection of Indigenous health care and the justice system.

According to his official award profile, McGauley-Bartlett helped establish Victoria’s first Aboriginal Custodial Health team.

He also contributed to the state’s first Aboriginal Primary Health Strategy aimed at improving health outcomes for Indigenous prisoners.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, his work included supporting health care for Aboriginal prisoners and efforts to increase vaccine uptake.

The award profile also credited him with helping ensure Indigenous prisoners’ perspectives were heard through quality improvement work within Victoria’s prison health system.

Another major part of his public record was the Aboriginal Youth Cautioning Program.

The National Australia Day Council said McGauley-Bartlett implemented Victoria’s first program of its kind to help ensure young Indigenous people were eligible for a caution when they first came into contact with the justice system.

The objective was to reduce unnecessary entry into the criminal justice system and address disparities affecting Aboriginal young people.

It was this combination of health advocacy and justice-system work that helped earn McGauley-Bartlett the Victorian Young Australian of the Year honour for 2023.

He also previously worked with Victoria Police

McGauley-Bartlett’s background has drawn further attention because he previously worked as an Aboriginal Community Liaison Officer with Victoria Police.

That role placed him within an organisation now connected to the investigation that led to his arrest.

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

The unit has responsibility for Aboriginal social and emotional wellbeing initiatives.

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

That response reflects the legal sensitivity surrounding an active criminal proceeding.

Being charged does not establish guilt.

Employment decisions, award consequences and other institutional responses may depend on the court process and the policies of the organisations involved.

His award could face scrutiny if the case ultimately results in a qualifying conviction

The National Australia Day Council has also addressed the question of McGauley-Bartlett’s honour.

A council spokesperson told ABC News that an Australian of the Year honour could be revoked if a recipient is convicted of an offence carrying a maximum penalty of more than one year’s imprisonment.

The key word is convicted.

McGauley-Bartlett has been charged, but the allegations have not yet been determined by a court.

There has been no announced revocation of his 2023 Victorian Young Australian of the Year honour.

Any potential action concerning the award would need to be considered in light of the legal outcome and the council’s applicable rules.

The distinction is important because public reaction to criminal charges can move much faster than the justice system.

A police allegation is not a court finding.

A charge is not a conviction.

The prosecution must establish its case through the legal process.

McGauley-Bartlett had become a visible voice in public discussions about Indigenous affairs

His profile extended beyond his professional work and the Australian of the Year awards.

In 2023, McGauley-Bartlett appeared on the ABC’s Q+A during discussion of the Voice to Parliament referendum.

The referendum was one of the most politically and socially divisive debates Australia had experienced in years.

His participation placed him before a national television audience during a period of intense debate about Indigenous representation and government policy.

He later expanded into podcasting.

In 2025, McGauley-Bartlett launched the No Shame Just Truth podcast with AJ Williams-Tchen, director of Girraway Ganyi Consultancy.

Williams-Tchen told ABC News he had not heard from McGauley-Bartlett since the arrest and was uncertain about the podcast’s future.

He described McGauley-Bartlett as a long-time friend and someone he had known for 15 years.

The uncertainty surrounding the podcast is one of several immediate consequences of the case.

McGauley-Bartlett’s government role has attracted questions.

His national award has prompted scrutiny.

His public advocacy record is being revisited.

But none of those issues answers the central legal questions now before the court.

Why Victoria treats gel blasters so seriously

For readers in other states, the legal treatment of gel blasters in Victoria can be confusing.

Australian weapons laws differ between jurisdictions.

A device that may be legally possessed under particular conditions in one state can expose a person to serious legal consequences in another.

Victoria Police’s current firearms licensing guidance is particularly clear on gel blasters.

The force says approvals are not currently issued to any individual or organisation for gel blasters.

It also states there remains no lawful reason to possess or use them in Victoria.

The strict approach is linked in part to the realistic appearance of many gel blasters.

Some are manufactured to closely resemble rifles, pistols or other genuine firearms.

That creates an obvious operational problem.

If a realistic imitation gun is displayed during a confrontation, police and members of the public may have no reliable way to know immediately that it fires gel pellets rather than conventional ammunition.

Victoria moved to classify gel blasters as imitation firearms in 2021 following concerns about realistic replicas being used in serious crimes.

The legal status of the devices is therefore very different from an ordinary brightly coloured toy gun that does not resemble an operable firearm.

In McGauley-Bartlett’s case, the precise nature of the alleged items and the charges arising from the search will be tested through the court process.

The police uniforms and alleged imitation documents raise separate unanswered questions

The presence of alleged police-related items is likely to attract particular public interest.

Police uniforms carry obvious authority.

So do certificates or identification documents that appear to be connected to law enforcement.

However, the public reporting available so far does not establish that McGauley-Bartlett used the alleged items to impersonate an officer or commit another offence against a member of the public.

Police have described what they say was seized and have laid charges.

The prosecution case has not yet been fully tested in open court.

It would therefore be premature to construct a motive or claim that the items were intended for a particular scheme.

That restraint is especially important in a case attracting attention because of the accused person’s previous public reputation.

The contrast between an award-winning advocate and serious criminal allegations makes the story inherently dramatic.

It does not remove the presumption of innocence.

The case now moves to Bendigo Magistrates’ Court

McGauley-Bartlett was granted bail following his arrest.

He is scheduled to appear again at Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on October 2.

Victoria Police says the investigation is ongoing.

The ABC has sought comment from McGauley-Bartlett.

As the case progresses, further details may emerge about the individual charges, the prosecution’s allegations and McGauley-Bartlett’s response.

Until then, the established facts remain limited.

A property at Huntly was raided.

Police allege 15 gel blasters and a collection of police-related items were seized.

A former Victorian Young Australian of the Year has been charged.

He has been granted bail.

And the matter remains before the courts.

The extraordinary contrast between McGauley-Bartlett’s public record and the allegations against him will guarantee attention. But the next important account of this case will not come from his award profile or social media history — it will come from the evidence presented in court.