Retail Workers

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector. Will the minister inform the council about the importance of securing the safety of South Australian retail workers?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:06): I wish to thank the honourable member for his question. The member, I know, has dedicated a large part of his still very young life to looking after the health and wellbeing of workers through advocacy and roles in the union movement previously. There is no doubt in relation to retail workers that, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an increase in the incidence of violence and aggression towards retail workers, particularly young retail workers.

On average, I am informed, there are something like 50 assaults a month that take place in retail settings. This has been reflected in several high-profile incidents broadcast on our screens, in the papers and on our news, including notorious confrontations between customers and staff at city McDonald's stores. That is why we went to the last election as the Labor opposition with a very clear policy to increase penalties for those who abuse and assault retail workers. We recognise that, for many young Australians, work in the retail and fast-food sector is their first exposure to the world of paid employment. They do not deserve to be the targets of abuse simply for doing their jobs.

The government's pledge in opposition was implemented following the election with new regulations introduced in August 2022 to make the assault of frontline retail workers an aggravated offence, as it is in a number of other areas of employment. People convicted of a basic assault against a retail worker while performing their duties can now face up to five years in prison, an increase from the previous two. Those convicted of assault causing harm against retail workers performing their duties now face up to seven years.

But we know that legislation regulation is only part of the solution. We also need to encourage safe work practices to ensure staff have the support they need to deal with difficult customer behaviour. A recent SafeWork SA campaign targeting violence and aggression in the retail sector showed that a major issue was a lack of training for staff on how to deal with violence and aggression. I was pleased to be able to join representatives of Woolworths and the SDA last Friday for a tour of one of the stores to hear directly from team members about steps being taken to deal with aggressive or abusive customer behaviour.

The tour followed the launch of the Woolworths Care and Respect campaign last November, asking customers to show patience, care and respect when engaging with retail workers. I saw during that tour genuine cooperation between the employer and the union to improve health and safety for staff. That was reflected in a significant investment in processes and systems for managing threatening customer behaviour. Some of those innovations include:

new training packages which use virtual reality to simulate difficult or confrontational situations with members of the public to give team members confidence in how to deal with them;

providing duress alarms for staff which can be used not only inside the store but also when travelling through public car parks to enter your car on the way home;

the use of body-worn cameras to record aggressive incidents and encourage members of the public to de-escalate their behaviour; and

the use of team radio communications to alert staff about problematic customer behaviour and seek assistance.

It is heartening to see this kind of collaboration that will have an effect in conjunction with what we do legislatively to protect retail workers.