Tuesday, 17 June 2025

Ministers statements: workplace safety

Sonya KILKENNY (Carrum – Attorney-General, Minister for Planning) (14:19): I am delighted to rise to update the house on how the Allan Labor government is taking even more action to keep Victorians safe, and I want to focus on an issue that affects thousands of hardworking Victorians right across our state, including many young Victorians. These are our workers in our shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants and the workers on our trains, trams and buses. These are the workers who show up every day to serve the public and keep our communities running. They deserve respect. They deserve to feel safe and be safe on the job. They sure do not deserve verbal and physical abuse just for doing their job. A recent national survey from the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association found that 87 per cent of customer-facing workers experienced abuse from customers and physical violence against these workers has risen by over 50 per cent since 2021. Here in Victoria, the figures are up too.

This is simply unacceptable. That is why our government is taking strong, decisive action to better protect customer-facing workers. We are working on new laws which will send the strongest, clearest message that attacks against retail, transport and hospitality workers are not just wrong, they are criminal. We are considering tougher, stronger penalties for both new and expanded offences and stronger protections against stalking, harassment or intimidation in the workplace. To ensure these reforms are meaningful and balanced, we have established the worker protection consultation group, bringing together industry, unions and community voices. I thank members of the group for their valuable contributions. We will be introducing legislation later this year, legislation that protects workers and holds offenders accountable. No-one should face abuse just for doing their job.