In the all-important festive season for the retail sector, the tripartite Retail Employee Safety Council gathered to focus on strategies to bolster the sector against intensifying abuse, assaults and harassment in retail.
In its second meeting, worker and employer representatives noted prevention tactics used throughout November to deter retail crime offenders, including continuing the industry "Noone Deserves a Serve" Campaign, training and data collection and reporting to strengthen insights that will help improve employee safety.
The RESC also celebrated significant legislative reforms, including up to seven-year prison terms for those who abuse retail workers in Western Australia, and in South Australia a commitment to implement Workplace Protection Order legislation where businesses can make an application to the Magistrates Courts for high harm offenders to be prohibited from entering a retail outlet.
The RESC notes the urgency for action in states where legislation does not provide appropriate protection. In particular, in Victoria where legislation has been committed but not enacted and where incidents are increasing in frequency and seriousness.
Australian Retailers Association, Chief Industry Affairs Officer, Fleur Brown said 'When it comes to serious events, Victoria has the highest number of incidents at almost 19,000 in the last 12 months. We are calling on the Allan Government to introduce legislation that includes tougher penalties for people who abuse or assault retail workers, bringing laws closer to what is in place in other states, to reduce harm to retail workers"
National Assistant Secretary of the SDA, Helen Cooney said "Retail, warehousing and fast-food workers are working extremely hard in local supermarkets, shops, drive-thrus and warehouses to keep things running this Christmas. They deserve to be safe at work. State governments, including Victoria, need to legislate quickly so that the police and unions can prevent offenders being in these workplaces. Workplace Protection Orders should be introduced across the country."
The Council assessed retail data on aggression, assaults and harassment, and heard from three experts on incidents in retail:
- Professor Rae Cooper AO, the author of "Just Another Day in Retail" Understanding and addressing workplace sexual harassment in the Australian retail industry,
- Mr Philip Wise, an expert in data improvement and analysis at Safe Work Australia, and
- Mr Nick McDonnell, a public safety and crime reporting technology expert.
The Council noted the likely under reporting of customer-related safety incidents in retail, with evidence showing that up to half of women and one in four men working in retail having experienced sexual harassment, a 56% increase in workers compensation claims for being assaulted or for exposure to workplace violence since 2018, and an increase in seriousness of incidents with a notable rise in knife crime.
In response to this under-reporting, a priority in 2025 for the RESC will be assessing variations to data input policies into reporting software systems available in an effort to make it easier than ever for workers and employers to report incidents.
The RESC remains committed to information-sharing, as well as insights into workplace design, systems of work, trauma-informed support measures and improved accessibility of reporting technology.
