Wednesday, 10 September 2025

Adjournment

Retail workplace safety

David SOUTHWICK (Caulfield) (19:00): (1310) My adjournment tonight is for the Attorney-General, and the action that I seek is for the Attorney-General to urgently bring in new laws to protect retail workers and tackle retail crime. Nobody should have to go to work and not feel safe, but unfortunately this is what is happening in Victoria. Every 12 minutes we see a theft, and theft is at a 21-year high. There have been nearly 5000 assaults in retail stores – up 21 per cent year on year. Nationally, threatening events have increased 30 per cent, but in Victoria it is up 52 per cent. This is an absolute disgrace, and we need to see action from this government to bring in laws and powers to keep the community safe and particularly protect retail workers.

Now, the Premier 480 days ago said new laws would be brought in to ensure workers are safe and protect them from assaults and abuse – we have seen nothing other than a press release. The Australian Retailers Association have put out their five-point plan, which includes worker protection orders, retail-specific abuse legislation, permanent police specific crime units, online reporting and knife sale reform in controlled states. In all five areas, there are big red marks where it comes to Victoria, whereas other states are acting. Victoria is going backwards, and that is why we see assaults up, workers not feeling safe and violent crimes being committed in these stores. We have seen in New South Wales and Queensland, thanks to Queensland, Jack’s Law has been initiated, and this government will not even talk to the Beasley family when it comes to that. This government has failed on all accounts. I am asking the Attorney-General to act to ensure workers are protected. Workers should be able to come to work in a safe environment. We are hearing all retailers calling for it. It is an absolute disgrace what we are seeing at the moment with the assaults on workers and retail crime in the state that it is in in Victoria, and we must see action from this government, the Attorney and the Premier. The government can no longer talk about it. It is time for them to act. We want to see what this government is going to do to ensure workers can go to work safe, and that should be an absolute given. Unfortunately, it is not happening here in Victoria.