Tuesday, 1 April 2025

Hospital workplace safety

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:47): My question is to the Minister for Health. Last week terrified hospital staff and patients were confronted by a knife-wielding man in an emergency department. Why are security guards being cut in Victoria’s hospitals when there are record numbers of code blacks and clinicians that are being threatened and assaulted?

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:47): Firstly, I reject the premise of the question. Our security teams in our public hospitals play a very important role in keeping our healthcare workers and patients safe, and they are all very well trained in de-escalation. Their job there is to ensure that we have working environments that are safe and secure and where Victorians can get the health care that they need. We take the issue of occupational violence very, very seriously because, you know what, unlike those opposite, we listen to healthcare workers. We work with their industrial representatives –

Bridget Vallence: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question was very narrow about why security guards are being cut in public hospitals.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health is answering the question and is being relevant, but I do remind the minister not to attack the opposition.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Of course this is a very serious issue, and it is why we are focused on a range of initiatives that are aimed at increasing the reporting culture in health services so that we are focused on prevention, early intervention and post-incident response.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, the question is on why security guards are being cut, not why a high number of incidents are being reported by staff.

Ben Carroll: On the point of order, Speaker, from page 155 of Rulings from the Chair, on relevancy: a minister should relate remarks to the questions asked. The question went specifically to occupational violence and security guards, and the minister has been answering that completely and utterly frankly.

The SPEAKER: The minister answered the question at the outset. The minister is being relevant to the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Having asked a question about occupational violence, you would think that those on the other side might be interested in listening to the response, but clearly that is not the case. In terms of the work that we have done, it includes occupational violence training for all of our frontline healthcare workers. We have introduced the world-leading Safewards program, and we have also provided de-escalation training for a thousand frontline healthcare workers in consultation with health services, with peak bodies and with WorkSafe Victoria.

In relation to the very disturbing incident at the Alfred hospital, can I say thank you to the Minister for Police, because my advice is that police immediately attended and an individual was removed from the premises. Thankfully no patients or staff were injured during this incident. Once again I want to thank our healthcare workers and the police for dealing with this situation so quickly.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance, this is about a horrific situation –

The SPEAKER: The member for Lowan will resume her seat. There is no point of order.

Emma KEALY (Lowan) (14:51): Security guards are frontline hospital workers that protect patients, nurses, doctors and other hospital staff from violence. Minister, you promised no frontline job losses in Labor’s razor gang cuts to Victorian health services, yet in major Melbourne hospitals security guards have been cut in their numbers by 50 per cent. Why are security guards not considered frontline hospital workers?

Mary-Anne THOMAS (Macedon – Leader of the House, Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services) (14:51): On the question, I note that standing orders also require that questions must be factual, and the member for Lowan is just making things up, quite frankly.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, responding to a question is not a time to attack the opposition. Victorians want answers. I encourage the minister to address this.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Health to come back to answering the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I want to take this opportunity again to extend a big vote of thanks to all of our healthcare workers, including the security teams who work with our healthcare workers to protect the safety of our workers and indeed our patients.

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, on relevance: I do care, Minister for Health, which is why I am asking the question. I care.

The SPEAKER: That is not a point of order, member for Lowan.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: I will take the opportunity once again, maybe without interruption, to say a big thankyou to –

Emma Kealy: On a point of order, Speaker, the question is very specific about why Labor does not consider security guards frontline hospital workers. I ask you to bring her back to the question that was put.

The SPEAKER: I cannot direct the minister how to answer a question. I remind the minister that it was a very tight question and to come back to the question, but I cannot direct the minister how to answer the question.

Mary-Anne THOMAS: Again I thank our security teams for all the work that they do. They are highly valued members of our healthcare teams.