October 2020

Everybody deserves to have a safe working environment and to be able to move around the community without fear of harm.

Due to the nature of work, some workplaces present more risks than others and hence the respect for emergency service workers on the frontline helping those in need. However, in our view, harsher penalties and more punitive sentencing approaches will fail to address underlying issues that lead to incidents of violence.

Instead, increased emphasis must be placed on developing de-escalation and risk mitigation strategies, as well as therapeutic responses which are aimed at improving community relations and reducing incidents of harm against all members of the community, including our frontline emergency service workers.

Click the link below to read our full submission.