- New legislation will make retail spaces safer and protect workers from violence and intimidation to ensure Western Australians feel safe at work and in the community
- Retail Barring Orders will allow courts to ban violent or threatening individuals for up to two years
- Breaches of an order will carry penalties for up to five years imprisonment
The Cook Government is delivering on its election commitment to tackle retail crime and introduce additional measures to protect retail workers and shoppers from violence and intimidation.
The Retail Barring Orders Bill 2025 will give employers, shopping centre owners, and unions the power to apply to the courts to ban violent individuals from shops and shopping centres.
Under the legislation, a Retail Barring Order (RBO) can last up to two years for adults and one year for children.
Breaches will attract penalties of up to five years imprisonment for serious or persistent RBO breaches.
The Retail Barring Orders Bill 2025 complements the Cook Government's 2024 criminal law reforms that introduced tougher penalties for assaults on retail workers and for repeated shoplifting offences.
Enabling courts to issue RBOs will ensure people who make retail premises unsafe for workers and the community more broadly are prevented from returning to those premises.
The legislation includes safeguards to ensure people subject to a RBO still have access to groceries and essential services.
As stated by Premier Roger Cook:
"My government is committed to ensuring Western Australians feel safe at work and in the community.
"Retail Barring Orders will give employers, shopping centre owners, and unions the power to apply to the courts to ban violent individuals from shops and shopping centres.
"This sensible law reform delivers on a key election commitment and comes after my government increased penalties for assaults on retail workers last year."
As stated by Attorney General Dr Tony Buti:
"Retail workers deserve to feel safe at work, and this legislation provides a strong, enforceable way to ban threatening or violent individuals from entering retail premises.
"The Cook Government is taking decisive action to protect retail workers and shoppers while ensuring the legislation is applied cautiously and fairly through the court process."
As stated by Police Minister Reece Whitby:
"By banning violent offenders from retail spaces where they pose a risk, we're giving WA Police a significant tool to prevent violence before it happens to keep the community safe.
"Our government and WA Police is committed to tackling retail crime, so this legislation sends a clear message to anyone intimidating or causing fear to retail workers and shoppers in Western Australia."
