The City of Greater Geelong has launched a new public awareness campaign urging community members to treat people with respect and care – not aggression.
The Occupational Violence and Aggression (OVA) awareness campaign centres on real City employees sharing their personal experiences with the message: violence, abuse and aggression toward council workers is never acceptable.
City of Greater Geelong CEO Ali Wastie:
Over the past 12 months alone, more than 250 reports of occupational violence and aggression have been lodged by City employees.These are people turning up to work every day to help our community – whether in customer service, local laws, waste collection, childcare, libraries, or home support. They deserve to feel safe.
We're here to help, not to be harmed. You wouldn't speak to your mates this way – and our staff deserve the same respect.
The campaign highlights the personal impact of aggressive behaviour, with employees courageously sharing real experiences to humanise the issue. One message reads: "I was spat on while helping someone's mother. That's not okay."
Chair of the Council's Safety, Graffiti & Regulation portfolio, Councillor Chris Burson:
I've experienced occupational violence firsthand, so I understand how confronting and lasting its effects can be.Our staff are out in the community every day doing their jobs – and they do it to help people. Aggression is never part of the job.
They're not just workers in uniform – they're someone's parent, friend, or neighbour. It's time we treated them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
