New amendments introduce longer jail times for offenders
Australia’s Parliament has passed amendments imposing stronger penalties for individuals who attempt to or cause harm towards Commonwealth frontline employees.
Under the newly passed Criminal Code Amendment (Protecting Commonwealth Frontline Workers) Bill 2024, people who threaten to cause serious harm to a Commonwealth frontline worker may receive up to nine years of jail time.
Those who cause actual harm to a Commonwealth frontline employee may be imprisoned for 13 years, according to the legislation.
"These amendments send a strong message that Commonwealth frontline workers are valued, and that violence and aggression towards them is unacceptable," said Government Services Minister Bill Shorten in a statement.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) said it is pleased that the amendments passed Parliament.
"Frontline Commonwealth workers, such as those in Services Australia, the AEC (Australian Electoral Commission), Border Force, the Passport office and electorate offices, play a critical role in providing essential support to Australians, often in challenging circumstances," said CPSU deputy national president Matthew Harrison in a statement.
"It's crucial that staff be able to do their important work knowing they'll be safe from any acts of violence or aggression."
The harsher penalties fulfill one of the recommendations of the Services Australia Security Risk Management Review, a report commissioned after the stabbing attack on Centrelink worker Joeanne Cassar last year.
The government has committed to implementing all 44 recommendations in the review, including the introduction of workplace protection orders in Commonwealth workplaces.
It also committed $46.9 million in 2023-24 and an additional $314.1 million in the 2024-25 Budget to boost safety and security at Services Australia's service centres for staff and customers.
Frontline employees have become the targets of abuse over the past years in Australia. In the last 12 months, the government revealed that Services Australia staff have experienced nearly 9,000 face-to-face customer aggression incidents at service centres.
These incidents of abuse against frontline employees have prompted the country's states and territories to introduce stronger penalties in a bid to curb these cases. In Western Australia, the government also recently hiked its penalties against individuals abusing retailers and their employees.
