Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the National Disability Insurance Scheme) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yesterday at 1.30 pm at a Services Australia centre at Airport West, a Centrelink team leader was stabbed by an assailant while doing her job. This is a terrible crime committed against a well-respected, well-loved, experienced public servant. This morning I travelled to Melbourne to visit the Airport West service centre. I met many amazing-but-traumatised co-workers who were present yesterday and others who were there today to support their colleagues. I know the House joins me in expressing shock at this incident. We send our thoughts to the staff member who was injured, her family and the staff and customers who witnessed this assault. The officer is receiving the best of care, and we wish her a speedy recovery. My thanks both for the immediate assistance provided by other staff and to the Victorian police, who attended within five minutes.

It's a very sad and terrible day for Services Australia, our Commonwealth Public Service and people who work for government at all levels. Public servants do an important and difficult job for people in their local community, many of whom are stressed or vulnerable and have complex problems. But that is no excuse. Customer aggression and antisocial behaviour will not be tolerated ever. No-one who works for our Public Service on the front line should ever be concerned for their personal safety. They all have a right to go home safely.

I want to assure the staff at service centres that the Albanese government is taking this matter most seriously. Today we're establishing a review of service centre security, to be led by Graham Ashton AM APM, former chief commissioner of Victoria Police and deputy commissioner of the Australian Federal Police. The terms of reference will examine what we can do to better prevent and deter future incidents. This review will be carried out as a priority. The impact of this terrible incident on staff is obvious; some were too distressed to return to frontline work today. I think it is important—and I briefly mentioned this to the shadow minister—that this parliament expresses its support for all of our public servants and, in particular, the person who was assaulted yesterday.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition joins with the government in expressing our very deep concern about this deeply regrettable incident. We express our sympathy for the staff member who was attacked. We express our sympathy and concern for all of that frontline staff member's colleagues. We absolutely endorse the statement that no public servant should face the danger of violence in doing the essential work they are doing to serve our community.