The Australian Retail Council (ARC) welcomes the passage of the Workplace Protection Orders Bill 2026 through NSW Parliament and urges the Minns Government to bring the new protections into operation as soon as possible. 

The laws will allow courts to bar people who have threatened, intimidated or assaulted workers from returning to a workplace where there is a risk they will offend again. Workplace protection orders can be made against people aged 14 and over. Knowingly breaching a condition of an order carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail, a $5500 fine, or both.

A win for retail worker safety

Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show police recorded 8944 victims of assault at retail locations across NSW in 2025, equivalent to about 25 a day.

ARC CEO Chris Rodwell says workplace protection orders give retailers, police and courts a practical way to keep dangerous repeat offenders out of stores and break the cycle of offending. 

“The aggression, abuse and violence we’re seeing in stores across NSW are unacceptable,” he said.

“Nobody should turn up for a shift wondering whether the person who threatened or assaulted them will walk back through the door. That fear can stay with people long after they’ve gone home.” 

“We thank the Minns Government for listening to retailers and their teams, and the NSW Parliament for passing these critical laws.”

Call for urgent action

The NSW Government has indicated the scheme is expected to start within 12 months of the legislation passing. Western Australia passed its Retail Barring Orders legislation in October and expects the scheme to be operating before Christmas. 

“WA is aiming to have its barring order protections in place within a few months of passing parliament. We’re urging NSW to move with the same level of urgency,” Mr Rodwell said. “Workers facing threats and violence from dangerous repeat offenders today shouldn’t have to wait another year for protection. They can’t start soon enough.”