The state government of Victoria, Australia, has unveiled tough new penalties for violence and abuse against retail, hospitality and transport workers – including a maximum five-year jail term for assaulting or threatening a shop worker.
The move comes as the UK retail sector marks Respect for Shop Workers Week, amid fresh evidence of the scale of abuse faced by staff on this side of the world.
The Crimes Amendment (Retail, Fast Food, Hospitality and Transport Worker Harm) Bill 2025, introduced to the Victorian Parliament today, creates a new indictable offence covering assaults and threats against customer-facing workers. Lower-level assaults and intimidating conduct – including the use of profane or insulting language – will also become separate offences, carrying penalties of up to six months in jail.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan said people who punch, threaten or abuse workers in shops, restaurants, shopping centres or taxis “will face serious consequences”, emphasising that violence “should never be a part of your job”.
“There is a difference between the customer from hell and the customer who harms – retail workers know it and these laws nail it,” Allan said.
“I worked at a supermarket and I know what it was like. Today, we stand with workers to say it should never be a part of your job, and you'll be protected.”
UK retail bodies call for tougher protections
The developments in Australia come at a time when UK retail unions and business groups are intensifying pressure for stronger legal protections at home.
This week, the union Usdaw released interim results from its annual survey of more than 3,000 retail workers. In the past 12 months:
- 71% experienced verbal abuse
- 48% were threatened by a customer
- 9% were physically assaulted
The picture is reinforced by rising theft levels. ONS data published last month shows shoplifting offences rising 13 per cent year on year to 529,994 in the 12 months to June 2025. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) says theft is now a major trigger for violence, estimating more than 2,000 incidents of violence and abuse against retail staff every day.
UK legislation progressing
The UK government’s Crime and Policing Bill, which completed its second reading in the House of Lords last month, includes a new standalone offence for assaulting a retail worker – a long-running demand of the sector. The Bill also removes the £200 threshold for charging low-level shop theft.
A broader Australian crackdown
Victoria’s Bill is part of a wider package of measures targeting retail crime, including:
- Ram raids reclassified as aggravated burglary, with a maximum 25-year sentence
- Plans for Workplace Protection Orders, enabling violent customers to be banned from stores and venues
- Expanded protection for gig-economy delivery workers, hospitality staff and contractors such as cleaners and security personnel
If passed by the end of the year, the new offences will become law in Victoria before Christmas.