Last year, a Services Australia staff member in Melbourne suffered severe injuries due to a stabbing.
Services Australia will receive $314 million ($207 million) in funding from the federal government to boost the safety and security of its centres nationwide.
This initiative, which includes improving staff and customer safety, was brought about by a violent attack on a Services Australia staff member at a Centrelink Melbourne Airport West Branch in May 2023. The staff member was severely injured after being stabbed in the back.
The assault was one of the 9,000 incidents of aggression at Centrelink, Medicare, and Aged Pension offices from 2022 to 2023. Most of these service centres are located in local community hubs and shopping centres.
Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten assigned former Chief Police Commissioner of Victoria Police Graham Ashton to conduct a review of Service Australia’s safety and security measures. It includes evaluating the efficiency of the agency’s work health and safety system and its approach toward customers exhibiting aggressive behaviour.
The new funding in addition to the initial $46.9 million that the government invested following the release of the security risk management review in October.
The funding will help support up to 606 security guards, install better security features in all service centres, establish a centralised Security Operations Centre, improve collaboration with local law enforcement, and enhance design to centres at high risk of customer aggression.
Review Recommendations
Meanwhile, Services Australia is implementing all 44 recommendations made by the review. This includes enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for workplace injury, adopting current ACT Workplace Protection Order provisions, and offering sufficient physical and mental first aid training.
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The review also recommended reducing the need for customers to address in-person payment concerns via their electronic benefit transfer card.
These protective measures will be executed alongside the government’s Criminal Code Amendment (Protecting Commonwealth Frontline Workers) Bill 2024, introduced to Parliament last month.
The legislation seeks to increase the maximum years of imprisonment for people who cause harm or threaten to cause harm to Commonwealth frontline workers. If successfully enacted into law, it will protect 100,000 frontline public servants who work in agencies like Services Australia.
“Services Australia centres are located in the heart of local communities and we must ensure customers and staff are kept safe when there is any act of violence or aggression,” Mr. Shorten said.
“The security upgrades will help the agency work with local law enforcement to prevent incidents of aggression impacting the local community.”
Currently, Services Australia has more than 6,200 employees working across 318 service centres. The agency provided 10 million customers access to government payments in the financial year 2022-23.
The security risk management review was a culmination of written submissions from Community and Public Sector Union delegates and engagement sessions, feedback, and interviews from staff members. It was released on October 13, 2023.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) lauded the Albanese government for the funding, emphasising the importance of ensuring Services Australia’s workers are protected from acts of violence or aggression.
“Too often Services Australia workers are walking into their workplace, worried about whether they will be safe at work that day,” CPSU National Secretary Melissa Donnelly said.
“The CPSU is ready to work with both the agency and the government to ensure staff are closely consulted as all recommendations made by Graham Ashton and these increased safety measures are implemented.”
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