The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA) welcome the Victorian Government's commitment to Workplace Protection Orders (WPOs) and long-awaited new laws to strengthen penalties for assaults, abuse and harassment against retail workers - and urge the Government to act quickly to deliver real change.
ARA CEO Chris Rodwell said the announcement marks an important step in the right direction given Victoria has been the nation's outlier in safeguarding frontline retail staff.
"It's encouraging that Victoria has finally acted on the concerns retailers have been raising for two years - that the levels of violence, theft and abuse are out of control and unacceptable," he said. "It's critical to the people working across the retail sector that these vital laws are passed and enforced without delay."
NSW, WA, SA, QLD, TAS and NT have all passed laws strengthening penalties for assaults on frontline or retail workers. While South Australia and the ACT have introduced Workplace Protection Orders, Victoria continues to lag behind - despite recording the nation's highest levels of retail crime.
"With 10% of the offenders committing 60% of the crimes, we need effective measures to stop high-harm, repeat offenders, continuing to harm the same workers repeatedly. Workplace Protection Orders are a proven model to deal with these offenders and are operating right now in other jurisdictions. Victoria doesn't need to reinvent the wheel - it can act urgently," said Mr Rodwell.
Research commissioned by the ARA and NRA released on October 30, found that 79 per cent of Victorians are concerned about rising crime levels, and 89 per cent support stronger penalties for offenders who threaten or assault retail workers. Retail crime incidents in Victoria have surged more than 20 per cent in the past year alone, with the state now accounting for around one-third of all reported incidents nationwide.
Mr Rodwell says Victoria must follow the lead of NSW and South Australia by establishing a dedicated police unit to tackle retail crime, rather than relying on a partial response through existing Protective Service Officer (PSO) duties.
"Retail crime in Victoria isn't just rising - it's reached crisis proportions. Every day, retail workers are being spat on, punched, threatened and abused simply for doing their jobs. While this commitment is welcome, there's room for additional measures," said Mr Rodwell.
"Without targeted enforcement and resourcing, the problem won't change on the ground."
The retail sector employs more than 1.4 million Australians - many of them young people, women and casual staff who face customer aggression daily. More than half of Victorian retail employees have witnessed some form of crime in the stores where they work.
Mr Rodwell said the retail industry would continue to work constructively with the Victorian Government - and with governments across Australia - to ensure retail workers are protected.
"The people serving our communities every day deserve to feel safe at work, and their families deserve to know they'll come home unharmed."
