Home / Crime and Justice / Victoria Toughens Penalties for Assaults on Retail and Hospitality Workers
Victoria Toughens Penalties for Assaults on Retail and Hospitality Workers
14 Nov
Summary
- Customers who assault or threaten retail, hospitality, fast food, or transport workers face up to 5 years in prison
- New laws also include up to 25 years' prison for shopfront ram raiders
- Retail workplace protection orders to ban offenders from entire workplaces
On November 11, 2025, the Victorian government announced plans to introduce tougher penalties for customers who assault or threaten retail, hospitality, fast food, and transport workers. Under the proposed legislation, offenders could face up to 5 years in prison for such acts.
The crackdown is part of a broader suite of crime-reduction measures announced by Premier Jacinta Allan this week, ahead of next year's state election. Allan stated that the abuse and threats against retail workers were happening "far too often" and that the government would stand with these workers to strengthen protections.
In addition to the prison sentences for customer assaults, the new laws will also include up to 25 years' imprisonment for shopfront ram raiders. The government will also create retail workplace protection orders, which would ban offenders from the entire workplace where they committed the crime, not just the specific store.
The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) has been campaigning for such workplace protection orders for over two years, and the union's Victorian secretary, Michael Donovan, welcomed the proposed crackdown, calling retail assaults a "serious issue" for members.
