❓ The Attorney General outlines the Cook Labor government's commitment to protecting retail workers by introducing legislation with tougher penalties for assaults, including increased imprisonment terms and fines, especially when a dangerous weapon is involved.
AnsweredQoN 66Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
RETAIL WORKERS —
ASSAULTS
66. Ms C.M. COLLINS to the Attorney General:
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment to keeping Western Australians
safe, including in the workplace . Can the Attorney General advise the
house what action this government is taking to deter acts of violence against
retail workers?
ASSAULTS
66. Ms C.M. COLLINS to the Attorney General:
I
refer to the Cook Labor government's commitment to keeping Western Australians
safe, including in the workplace . Can the Attorney General advise the
house what action this government is taking to deter acts of violence against
retail workers?
AnswerView source ↗
Retail staff play a critical role in
our economy and in our communities. This was highlighted for the community
during the pandemic. Retail workers could not work from home; retail workers
had to be on site, on station, supplying families with necessary supplies.
During that period, tempers were becoming frayed—frustrations about the
pandemic—and we saw increasing acts of violence against retail workers.
There were threats, pushes—the whole
lot. A survey of thousands of Western Australian retail workers was conducted
by the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, which showed
that 87 per cent of members had experienced abuse from customers in the last
year. They are often teenagers in their first job who are working part-time
while they study.
I will share a couple of examples.
Last month, a young employee sustained cuts to his ear, a black eye and scrapes
to his body after he was punched and kicked and had products thrown at him by a
group of offenders after he asked the group
to remove products from their bag. That is what he was obliged to do. Late last
month, another retail worker was punched in the chest by an offender for
intervening when witnessing another team member being harassed and
inappropriately touched.
Under no circumstances should
workers be exposed to threats of violence in the workplace. None of us would
tolerate it. We have to protect the young and all retail workers. I was pleased
to announce with the Premier last week that the Cook Labor government will not
stand for cowardly acts of violence against retail workers. This week, as the
Attorney General, I am introducing legislation to Parliament that will create
tough new penalties in the Criminal Code for assaults committed against retail
workers.
The definition of ''assault'' is
broad and captures conduct such as spitting at a person, throwing an object,
attempting to hit a person with an object or threatening violence. The
reforms that I will introduce on behalf of the Cook Labor government are
amongst the toughest in Australia. We made a most inhospitable jurisdiction for
bikies with our bikie laws and we are going to bring in the toughest laws to
protect retail workers. We will see the maximum penalty in the Criminal Code
for assaulting a retail worker increase from 18 months' imprisonment
and a fine of $18 000 to seven years' imprisonment for an indictable
offence or three years' imprisonment and $36 000 if the offender and
the court can be convinced that it can be dealt with summarily and not be sent
to a District Court judge. However, if at the time of threatening a retail
worker the offender had in their hand a dangerous weapon—for example,
at a Bunnings counter, they were holding a hammer, a screwdriver or any other
dangerous weapon that they might have gone to the counter to buy—the
penalty will increase to a maximum of 10 years. We are not going to muck around
in our efforts to protect the safety of retail workers. They perform a vital
function in our economy and in our community.
These reforms will ensure that not
only our justice system protects retail workers, but also community standards
are met with appropriate penalties for these types of crimes.
our economy and in our communities. This was highlighted for the community
during the pandemic. Retail workers could not work from home; retail workers
had to be on site, on station, supplying families with necessary supplies.
During that period, tempers were becoming frayed—frustrations about the
pandemic—and we saw increasing acts of violence against retail workers.
There were threats, pushes—the whole
lot. A survey of thousands of Western Australian retail workers was conducted
by the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, which showed
that 87 per cent of members had experienced abuse from customers in the last
year. They are often teenagers in their first job who are working part-time
while they study.
I will share a couple of examples.
Last month, a young employee sustained cuts to his ear, a black eye and scrapes
to his body after he was punched and kicked and had products thrown at him by a
group of offenders after he asked the group
to remove products from their bag. That is what he was obliged to do. Late last
month, another retail worker was punched in the chest by an offender for
intervening when witnessing another team member being harassed and
inappropriately touched.
Under no circumstances should
workers be exposed to threats of violence in the workplace. None of us would
tolerate it. We have to protect the young and all retail workers. I was pleased
to announce with the Premier last week that the Cook Labor government will not
stand for cowardly acts of violence against retail workers. This week, as the
Attorney General, I am introducing legislation to Parliament that will create
tough new penalties in the Criminal Code for assaults committed against retail
workers.
The definition of ''assault'' is
broad and captures conduct such as spitting at a person, throwing an object,
attempting to hit a person with an object or threatening violence. The
reforms that I will introduce on behalf of the Cook Labor government are
amongst the toughest in Australia. We made a most inhospitable jurisdiction for
bikies with our bikie laws and we are going to bring in the toughest laws to
protect retail workers. We will see the maximum penalty in the Criminal Code
for assaulting a retail worker increase from 18 months' imprisonment
and a fine of $18 000 to seven years' imprisonment for an indictable
offence or three years' imprisonment and $36 000 if the offender and
the court can be convinced that it can be dealt with summarily and not be sent
to a District Court judge. However, if at the time of threatening a retail
worker the offender had in their hand a dangerous weapon—for example,
at a Bunnings counter, they were holding a hammer, a screwdriver or any other
dangerous weapon that they might have gone to the counter to buy—the
penalty will increase to a maximum of 10 years. We are not going to muck around
in our efforts to protect the safety of retail workers. They perform a vital
function in our economy and in our community.
These reforms will ensure that not
only our justice system protects retail workers, but also community standards
are met with appropriate penalties for these types of crimes.
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