Hepburn Shire to meet with state government over occupational violence against staff
Hepburn Shire Council wants more to be done to protect council employees in the wake of an assault on its chief executive as the police investigation into the incident continues.
Hepburn Shire Council wants to meet with key state government ministers as soon as possible in an effort to stamp out violence against its staff.
It comes after chief executive Bradley Thomas was allegedly assaulted by a local in Daylesford last week.
An urgent motion was passed to “formally condemn the physical attack” at the November council meeting on Tuesday night.
Hepburn Shire mayor Tony Clark said attempts to intimidate council employees were unacceptable.
“Abuse, aggressive attacks and threatening behaviour are never okay. Everyone deserves to feel safe when at work and out and about in our community,” he said.
Mr Clark and Mr Thomas intend to hold an urgent meeting with Police Minister Anthony Carbines and Local Government Minister Nick Staikos to address safety concerns.
Specifically, they will ask the ministers to update laws to better protect staff from “all industries, but in particular local government”, according to the resolution.
The central Victorian council will also “request an urgent update” from the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) on what is being done to address occupational violence.
The MAV announced on its LinkedIn page that it would launch a community awareness campaign about occupational violence as well as investigate harmful behaviour following an October state council meeting.
“The rise of misinformation, online abuse, and harmful behaviours directed at councillors and staff doesn’t just impact individuals, it erodes trust in local government, discourages civic participation, and weakens our democratic institutions,” the statement read.
Beyond discussions with state institutions, Hepburn Shire council called on local online forums to “value open debate but ensure that it stays grounded in fact and respect”.
Hepburn Shire council has zero tolerance to any form of physical, verbal, or online abuse.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said a 49-year-old-man had been interviewed and that the investigation into the incident was still ongoing.
