Protecting Tasmania’s frontline workers

The Tasmanian Government is set to take strong action introducing legislation to better protect Tasmania’s frontline workers this week in Parliament.

Those who cause serious bodily harm to Tasmania’s frontline workers will be facing a presumption of a minimum of six months imprisonment for the offence.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Guy Barnett, said that every Tasmanian worker has a right to be safe at work.

“I cannot be any clearer, it is totally unacceptable for Tasmanians, who are just trying to go about their business, while they work to be seriously assaulted or harmed,” the Attorney-General said.

“Anyone who assaults our frontline workers – be it child safety officers, our correctional services officers, our firies, our security guards, our health workers and more – will feel the full force of the law if they seriously assault or harm a worker.

“As a Government we committed to acting swiftly on this through our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future and as such are set to introduce legislation which would enable our legal system to come down hard on would be offenders.

“This week in Parliament we’re going to put forward this draft legislation, which if passed, would introduce the presumption of a minimum sentence of six months’ imprisonment for those that would cause serious bodily harm to Tasmania’s frontline workers.”

The Sentencing Amendment (Presumptive Sentencing for Assaults on Frontline Workers) Bill 2024 will amend the Sentencing Act 1997 to provide for a presumption of minimum sentencing in relation to offences causing serious bodily harm to certain frontline workers.

This list of frontline workers includes:

• Child safety officers;
• Correctional services officers;
• Emergency services officers, like firefighters;
• A health and safety officer;
• A public officer;
• A retail or hospitality worker;
• A security officer, like those at licensed venues; and
• A transport worker.