As we come into the festive season, the Hodgman Liberal Government is proud to support a new partnership between Ambulance Tasmania and the Tasmanian Hospitality Association (THA) to help encourage responsible behaviour in our public places and ensure that if paramedics are needed, they can do their job safely and effectively.
As part of the recently launched ‘Keep your hands off our ambos campaign,’ THA members will display posters reminding patrons that paramedics are unable to save lives if they are too busy fighting for their own.
It is timely to remind people that if one of their mates or family members requires an ambulance, paramedics must be allowed to do their job without being threatened or assaulted.
It is great to see the THA getting behind this campaign and spreading the message that violence against paramedics is simply unacceptable.
Serious assaults on frontline workers are completely unacceptable and the Government is taking action to make this clear.
Today we will vote on a law that, if passed would mean anyone who causes serious bodily harm to a frontline worker will receive a mandatory minimum sentence of six-months in jail.
Under the first phase of our reforms the Parliament passed a law in 2014 which introduced a new sentencing provision which specified a minimum mandatory sentence of six-months for committing an offence causing serious bodily harm to a police officer.
Since its introduction, no one has been sentenced on the basis of the new provision, supporting the position that law has worked as an effective deterrent.
Consistent with our election commitment, the Government is now looking to extend this law to cover correctional staff, ambulance officers, paramedics, nurses and midwives and child protection workers.
Frontline workers have a difficult job and have to deal with challenging and sometimes violent people.
Like all members of our community, they have the right to work without being seriously assaulted.
The Hodgman Government with Ambulance Tasmania would like to thank the THA and its members for supporting this campaign in helping to keep paramedics and those they are treating, safe.