Tuesday, 18 November 2025

 Rachel WESTAWAY (Prahran) (19:15): (1427) My amendment this evening is to the Minister for Small Business and Employment, and the action I seek is for the minister to intervene to curb the escalating crime in Victoria in regard to retail. The government is now debating the Crimes Amendment (Retail, Fast Food, Hospitality and Transport Worker Harm) Bill 2025. But despite being dragged to this bill, the Premier has proposed flawed legislation that will not solve the retail crime crisis. Penalties are weak and the key ingredient of workplace protection orders is missing. The coalition will aim to address both of those issues through amendment.

As the Shadow Assistant Minister for Small Business (Metropolitan), I have been closely monitoring the retail crime crisis affecting Victorian businesses. The Victorian Crime Statistics Agency data released on 25 September this year makes for absolutely sobering reading. There were over 99,000 ‍retail crime offences recorded in the year ending June 2025, and that is up 20 per cent from the previous year, the highest level on record. Thefts from retail and stores increased by 26 per cent, and assaults in retail settings rose 21 per cent. A criminal offence now happens in Victorian retail environments at least once every 5 minutes and an assault every couple of hours, and these stats only represent the tip of the iceberg. The reality is far worse because the reporting simply is not there. Small business owners tell me they no longer report every theft and staff face daily abuse. Chapel Street is home to hundreds of small businesses experiencing the same rising crime rates. The government recently announced deploying protective services officers to large suburban shopping centres for a 90-day trial. This overlooks retail precincts like Chapel Street, and it raises concerns about which railway stations will further lose PSO coverage – a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

The fundamental issue is that Victoria is falling way behind the rest of Australia in this space. One in 10 Victorian workers work in retail, yet Victoria remains without comparable protections for its retail businesses and workforce. New South Wales and the ACT announced retail-specific crime units. South Australia continues investing in Operation Measure. Most states have legislated specific abuse protections since 2019. Australia’s leading retail and industry associations have called for urgent action in a joint letter to the Premier. The retail association, the Franchise Council of Australia, Retail Drinks Australia, MGA Independent Businesses Australia, the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia are demanding action. Ritchies IGA and franchise stores across Victoria have called for action. How many times and from how many businesses does the government need to hear this before they actually take action? It is another case of the Allan Labor government being yet again too slow, too late and lacking the ability to work with small business. It is time for a fresh start.