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1. What was proposedMark PartonLiberal · Opposition
   Read the original wording (330 words)

   That this Assembly: (1) notes: (a) repeated and escalating incidents of occupational violence across the ACT public health system, including physical assaults, strangulation and staff trapped in unsafe clinical areas; (b) the failure of this Government to publicly report incidents of occupational violence; (c) ongoing concerns raised repeatedly by frontline health workers and unions about staff safety risks that have not been acted upon by this Government; (d) more than 100 incidents of physical harm to staff have been reported within the Critical Services Building since opening; and (e) that no healthcare worker should be expected to accept violence as “part of the job”; (2) further notes that: (a) public health staff have repeatedly raised concerns about inadequate security arrangements, unsafe designs and insufficient staffing levels; (b) this Government’s lack of transparency regarding violent incidents in ACT public hospitals remains inadequate and intentionally prevents public accountability; (c) it condemns and rejects any suggestion that violence against healthcare workers is unavoidable or inevitable; (d) the NSW Government has passed legislative reforms creating specific offences and increased penalties for assaults against frontline emergency and health workers; and (e) the current legal framework within the ACT may not provide sufficient deterrent against violence directed towards healthcare workers; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) publicly acknowledge that the current level of occupational violence in the ACT public health system represents a systemic workplace safety failure; (b) release de-identified quarterly data on occupational violence incidents across the public health system; (c) review if existing laws provide adequate protections and penalties for assaults against frontline health workers, including comparisons of protections in the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assaults on Frontline Emergency and Health Workers) Bill 2022 (NSW); (d) finalise enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations and consider including and extending occupational violence leave for critical incidents and trauma pertaining to frontline workers; and (e) report back to the Assembly within three months on actions taken to improve occupational safety with the public health system. Debate ensued.

2. Proposed changeRachel Stephen-SmithLabor · Minister27 May 2026

   Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point, added reporting or consultation.

   Before

   (b) the failure of this Government to publicly report incidents of occupational violence

   After this change

   (b) occasions of staff absence caused by occupational violence are publicly reported in the Canberra Health Services Annual Report;

   The exact wording of this change

   together: 1. Omit paragraph (1)(b), substitute: “(b) occasions of staff absence caused by occupational violence are publicly reported in the Canberra Health Services Annual Report;”. 2. Omit paragraph (2)(b). 3. Omit paragraph (3)(a), substitute: “(a) publicly acknowledge that the current level of occupational violence in the ACT public health system is not acceptable and that there is an ongoing need to strengthen prevention and responses to occupational violence;”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

3. Proposed changeJo ClayGreens · Crossbench27 May 2026

   Grouped by key words as: added a new call or point.

   The exact wording of this change

   to the motion, as amended: After paragraph (3)(c) insert new paragraphs: “(d) review interventions undertaken by other jurisdictions (in Australia and overseas) to reduce occupational violence in healthcare, to ascertain whether the Government has adopted the most effective means for achieving this, or if there are more effective means worth implementing here; (e) consider whether a formal MOU to better connect the ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Policing operations with Health will assist in reducing occupational violence in healthcare;”. Debate continued.

   Agreed on the voices. No individual votes were recorded. Its wording is in the final text.

4. What the Assembly decidedAgreed

   Decided on the voices: no individual votes were recorded, so this doesn’t show that every MLA agreed.

   Final agreed wording, with changes marked

   That this Assembly: (1) notes: (a) repeated and escalating incidents of occupational violence across the ACT public health system, including physical assaults, strangulation and staff trapped in unsafe clinical areas; (b) occasions of staff absence caused by occupational violence are publicly reported in the Canberra Health Services Annual ReportStephen-Smith; (c) ongoing concerns raised repeatedly by frontline health workers and unions about staff safety risks that have not been acted upon by this Government; (d) more than 100 incidents of physical harm to staff have been reported within the Critical Services Building since opening; and (e) that no healthcare worker should be expected to accept violence as ‘part of the job’; (2) further notes that: (a) public health staff have repeatedly raised concerns about inadequate security arrangements, unsafe designs and insufficient staffing levels; (b) it condemns and rejects any suggestion that violence against healthcare workers is unavoidable or inevitable; (c) the NSW Government has passed legislative reforms creating specific offences and increased penalties for assaults against frontline emergency and health workers; and (d) the current legal framework within the ACT may not provide sufficient deterrent against violence directed towards healthcare workers; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) publicly acknowledge that the current level of occupational violence in the ACT public health system is not acceptable and that there is an ongoing need to strengthen prevention and responses to occupational violenceStephen-Smith; (b) release de-identified quarterly data on occupational violence incidents across the public health system; (c) review if existing laws provide adequate protections and penalties for assaults against frontline health workers, including comparisons of protections in the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assaults on Frontline Emergency and Health Workers) Bill 2022 (NSW); (d) review interventions undertaken by other jurisdictions (in Australia and overseas) to reduce occupational violence in healthcare, to ascertain whether the Government has adopted the most effective means for achieving this, or if there are more effective means worth implementing here; (e) consider whether a formal MOU to better connect the ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Policing operations with Health will assist in reducing occupational violence in healthcareClay; (f) finalise enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations and consider including and extending occupational violence leave for critical incidents and trauma pertaining to frontline workers; and (g) report back to the Assembly within three months on actions taken to improve occupational safety with the public health system.

   Original and final wording compared

   taken out put in

   That this Assembly: (1) notes: (a) repeated and escalating incidents of occupational violence across the ACT public health system, including physical assaults, strangulation and staff trapped in unsafe clinical areas; (b) [taken out: the failure of this Government to publicly report incidents][put in: occasions]of [put in: staff absence caused by]occupational violence [put in: are publicly reported in the Canberra Health Services Annual Report;](c) ongoing concerns raised repeatedly by frontline health workers and unions about staff safety risks that have not been acted upon by this Government; (d) more than 100 incidents of physical harm to staff have been reported within the Critical Services Building since opening; and (e) that no healthcare worker should be expected to accept violence as ‘part of the job’; (2) further notes that: (a) public health staff have repeatedly raised concerns about inadequate security arrangements, unsafe designs and insufficient staffing levels; (b) [taken out: this Government’s lack of transparency regarding violent incidents in ACT public hospitals remains inadequate and intentionally prevents public accountability; (c)]it condemns and rejects any suggestion that violence against healthcare workers is unavoidable or inevitable; [taken out: (d)][put in: (c)]the NSW Government has passed legislative reforms creating specific offences and increased penalties for assaults against frontline emergency and health workers; and [taken out: (e)][put in: (d)]the current legal framework within the ACT may not provide sufficient deterrent against violence directed towards healthcare workers; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) publicly acknowledge that the current level of occupational violence in the ACT public health system [taken out: represents a systemic workplace safety failure;][put in: is not acceptable and that there is an ongoing need to strengthen prevention and responses to occupational violence;](b) release de-identified quarterly data on occupational violence incidents across the public health system; (c) review if existing laws provide adequate protections and penalties for assaults against frontline health workers, including comparisons of protections in the Crimes Legislation Amendment (Assaults on Frontline Emergency and Health Workers) Bill 2022 (NSW); (d) [put in: review interventions undertaken by other jurisdictions (in Australia and overseas) to reduce occupational violence in healthcare, to ascertain whether the Government has adopted the most effective means for achieving this, or if there are more effective means worth implementing here; (e) consider whether a formal MOU to better connect the ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Policing operations with Health will assist in reducing occupational violence in healthcare; (f)]finalise enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations and consider including and extending occupational violence leave for critical incidents and trauma pertaining to frontline workers; and [taken out: (e)][put in: (g)]report back to the Assembly within three months on actions taken to improve occupational safety with the public health system. [taken out: Debate ensued.]

   Compared word by word by computer, ignoring punctuation. It shows what differs, not which change made each difference; the steps above show that.