The Retail Employee Safety Council (RESC) has reaffirmed its commitment to tackling customer abuse and violence by prioritising the focus on Workplace Protection Orders.
At its most recent meeting, the Council welcomed new members to strengthen expertise in workforce development and small business. Members also heard from an expert in urban and architectural design on how the built environment can be used to reduce customer aggression and improve frontline employee safety.
The Retail Employee Safety Council (RESC), chaired by Marie Boland of Safe Work Australia, met in Canberra on Thursday 21 August 2025.
- The Council welcomed new members: Hon. Bruce Billson, Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman (ASBFEO), and Natalie Turmine, CEO of Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaSCA). Both bring valuable perspectives to the Council's work in addressing retail workplace safety challenges.
- The Council reaffirmed WPO as a priority: Consistent with its communique of 10 December 2024, the RESC reaffirmed the urgency of Workplace Protection Orders in jurisdictions where legislation does not provide appropriate protection. Workplace Protection Orders allow courts to impose restrictions on individuals who have engaged in harmful behaviours.
- The Council explored Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) as a strategy to improve retail safety: CPTED is a design-based approach that applies urban and architectural principles to reduce crime and aggression. The Council heard from a CPTED expert and reviewed and provided feedback on a draft project scope to develop national retail design guidance informed by these principles.
- The Council also noted:
- Safe Work Australia is undertaking a best practice review of the model WHS Act and model WHS Regulations to identify opportunities to strengthen and maintain harmonisation of WHS laws and ensure the laws reflect contemporary best practice.
- Under the model WHS laws, a person conducting a business or undertaking (PCBU) must manage the risk of psychosocial hazards in the workplace, and that retailers and the SDA have undertaken risk assessments.
The RESC remains committed to working collaboratively on the elimination and prevention of customer abuse and violence in the retail and fast-food industries.
