New laws aimed at strengthening safety for South Australian workers will come into effect in early May, allowing courts to ban individuals who behave violently in workplaces from returning.
The legislation, introduced by the State Government, will establish a Workplace Protection Order scheme designed to protect staff in public-facing businesses from antisocial or violent behaviour.
From May 4th, employers and unions will be able to apply to the courts for an order that prevents someone who has behaved violently in a workplace from entering that business again. These orders can last for up to 12 months.
The new measures apply to workplaces where staff regularly interact with the public, including retail stores, hospitality venues, customer service environments and other public-facing roles.
If a person breaches a Workplace Protection Order, they could face significant penalties. The maximum punishment includes up to two years in prison, increasing to five years if the breach involves further personal violence.
“Regardless of the job you do, all South Australians should be able to go to work without the threat of violence or harassment from members of the public,” shared South Australia’s Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Kyam Maher. “As a government we have worked with and listened to both business and union groups about the issue of harassment, abuse and violence against staff, and we are committed to doing our part to keep South Australian workers and customers safe.
“These laws help give unions and businesses the power to better protect employees and their customers from the threat of violence by seeking comprehensive, legally enforceable orders that are punishable by jail time if they’re breached.”
The Workplace Protection Order scheme is part of a broader set of law and order reforms introduced by the Government.
These include legislation targeting adults who recruit children into crime, new knife laws allowing police to declare certain public areas such as shopping centres and transport hubs as designated zones, and tougher penalties for a range of offences.
Other reforms recently introduced include restrictions on 3D-printed firearms, laws targeting coercive control, measures to crack down on scrap metal theft and the establishment of a public child sex offender register.
The new workplace protection laws will officially commence across South Australia on May 4th.
