QHA_April_Digital

ATTORNEY-GENERAL
The Honourable Shannon Fentiman MP
HEALTH AND SAFETY AT WORK
Running a hospitality business or working in the
industry is challenging at the best of times, and since
the pandemic I know business owners and employees
have been faced with staff shortages and the rising
cost of living.
World Day for Health and Safety at Work on 28 April
provides a timely opportunity to check in on how you
and your employees are feeling.
That’s why it’s so important to pay attention to any red
flags that indicate your mental health, or the health
of your staff and colleagues, needs to be prioritised.
These may include:
• having trouble concentrating
• not working to the usual standard
• withdrawing from colleagues
• being absent from work.
I also encourage you to think about how other external
factors such as domestic and family violence (DFV) can
impact your employees.
DFV is a workplace health and safety issue – we know
95 per cent of victims who were stalked by a violent
partner experienced that harassment at work.
And between a quarter and half of women subjected
to domestic violence reported having lost a job at least
in part because of that violence.
No one should ever have to choose between their job
and their safety, and I would like to remind businesses
of the new Australia-wide paid DFV leave.
Employees of non-small business employers can
now access 10 days of paid DFV leave in a 12-month
period and employees of small businesses can access
the leave from 1 August 2023.
Tackling domestic and family violence is everybody’s
responsibility and I urge all members to look at how
you can ensure your venues are safe and supportive
for staff and patrons.
Access the WorkSafe Queensland’s toolkit online
which provides practical tools and resources that
you can use to create and maintain a mentally health
workplace.
Learn more about the new paid DFV leave on the Fair
Work Ombudsman’s website.
If you or someone you know need help, phone:
• Lifeline - 13 11 14
• Beyondblue - 1300 224 636
If you or someone you know is experiencing DFV, help
is available:
• 1800Respect – 1800 737 732
• DVConnect Womensline – 1800 811 811
• DVConnect Mensline – 1800 600 636
If you need immediate assistance, phone Triple Zero
(000).
QHA REVIEW | 28