Heathcote MP Maryanne Stuart addressed the Parliament of NSW today regarding the need for greater protections of retail workers.

The NSW Government introduced the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assault on Retail Workers) Bill 2023 in order to provide safer workplaces for those in the retail industry.

Research from the McKell Institute alarmingly found that 85 per cent of workers surveyed had suffered abuse whilst at work.

The Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assault on Retail Workers) Bill 2023 would include offences such as assaulting, stalking, harassing, intimidating or throwing items at a retail worker in the Crimes Act.

As result, those convicted of:

• assaulting, throwing items, stalking, harassing or intimidating a retail worker in the course of the worker’s duties, even if no actual bodily harm is caused, will face a maximum penalty of four years imprisonment
• assaulting a retail worker in the course of the worker’s duty, causing actual bodily harm to a worker, will face a maximum six years imprisonment
• wounding or causing grievous bodily harm to a retail worker in the course of the worker’s duty, being reckless as to causing actual bodily harm to the worker or another person, face up to 11 years imprisonment.

Mrs Stuart said the bill would impact many retail workers who lived or worked in her Heathcote electorate.

“No one should ever be made to feel unsafe in their workplace,” Mrs Stuart said in the Legislative Assembly today.

“This bill will do two things: it will ensure retail workers feel safer whilst in the workplace; and it will also act as a deterrent to potential offenders.

“In an ideal world, there would be no need for such a bill, however we know that is simply not the case.

“I can certainly sympathise and empathise with the challenges faced by retail workers.

“My first job was in the retail industry – as an employee at Engadine Woolworths.

“It was a job I thoroughly enjoyed but one that certainly had its challenges – and its challenging customers at times.”