Thursday, 30 May 2024

Adjournment

Enver ERDOGAN (Northern Metropolitan – Minister for Corrections, Minister for Youth Justice, Minister for Victim Support) (17:34): I move:

That the house do now adjourn.

Workplace safety

Michael GALEA (South-Eastern Metropolitan) (17:34): (930) My adjournment matter is for the Attorney-General. The action that I am seeking is for the minister to advise on what measures the government will take to address the reported rise in violence, abuse and harassment directed at retail and other customer-facing workers. Reported instances of abuse and violence targeted towards employees in retail have consistently increased during and after the pandemic. These instances of violence and abuse have remained at elevated levels during the ongoing cost-of-living pressures. Surveys by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, the union for retail and fast-food workers, found that more than 88 per cent of surveyed members experienced verbal abuse from a customer in the past year, 15 per cent experienced physical customer violence, 11 per cent experienced sexual harassment or abuse, 39 per cent had been sexually harassed in the last five years and 36 per cent of harassment was perpetrated by customers.

Just over a week ago the Premier announced that this Labor government will change the law to address these attacks against frontline workers, such as those in retail and hospitality and bus drivers and the like. A worker protection consultation group that will be established will consider potential new penalties or offences and how existing offences could be expanded or strengthened to protect these vulnerable workers. We heard the Premier talk about her own experiences with her very first job in a supermarket in Bendigo and dealing with occasions of customer abuse. We also heard a very moving story about one of my constituents, a retail worker in the Dandenong area who works at a supermarket, who was assaulted by a customer with a knife. This sort of violence towards any sort of service workers is completely unacceptable, and that is why I am so proud to see this government take these steps.

As I mentioned earlier today, I have also personally had the privilege of representing exactly these frontline workers with their workplace grievances and all too often in situations where they themselves faced threats or abuse from customers, including an occasion where one such worker had to pay off a customer with $50 so as not to be stabbed with a hypodermic needle. These sorts of instances of abuse and violence are all too common, and it is appropriate that we as a society stand clearly against them. It is why am very pleased to see this announcement made. Again, the action that I seek is for an update on what measures the government will be taking to address these reported increases in customer violence towards frontline services workers.