Retailers welcome Victorian government’s new retail worker protection laws

Image of gavel and books. — In Victoria, retail crime incidents surged by more than 20 per cent in the last year. (Source: Bigstock)

By Darshana Gupta November 14, 2025

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The Victorian government’s commitment to Workplace Protection Orders (WPOs) and new laws to protect retail workers has been welcomed by The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and National Retail Association (NRA).

The laws strengthen penalties for assaults, abuse, and harassment against frontline retail workers after recording the highest levels of retail crime in the country.

Under the new bill, assaulting or threatening customer-facing workers will carry penalties of up to five years imprisonment, and lower-level intimidation will result in jail terms of up to six months.

Ram-raids, which will be reclassified as aggravated burglary, will attract penalties of up to 25 years.

“It’s encouraging that Victoria has finally acted on the concerns retailers have been raising for two years — that the levels of violence, theft, and abuse are out of control and unacceptable,” said ARA CEO Chris Rodwell.

Laws to strengthen penalties for assaults on retail workers have been passed in NSW, WA, SA, Queensland, Tasmania, and NT, while the ACT and SA have also introduced WPOs.

“With 10 per cent of the offenders committing 60 per cent of the crimes, we need effective measures to stop high-harm, repeat offenders, continuing to harm the same workers repeatedly,” said Rodwell.

“Workplace Protection Orders are a proven model to deal with these offenders and are operating right now in other jurisdictions. Victoria doesn’t need to reinvent the wheel – it can act urgently.”

Research commissioned by the ARA and NRa found that 79 per cent of Victorians are concerned about rising levels of crime and 89 per cent support stronger penalties for offenders.

In Victoria, retail crime incidents surged by more than 20 per cent in the last year, with the state accounting for one-third of all reported crimes in Australia.

Rodwell said the retail industry would work with the Victorian government to ensure the protection of retail workers.

Master Grocers Australia (MGA) CEO Martin Stirling also welcomed the new laws. “Small family-owned retailers cannot keep absorbing the trauma, the cost and the daily threat of violence. This must be the beginning of a far stronger and effective response – not the end of it,” he said.

The government intends to have the new laws in effect by the end of the year.