Occupational Violence and Aggression International
Conference 2023

Racist slurs. Sexualised comments. Chairs thrown. Kicks and punches. This shouldn’t be “just part of the job” but WorkSafe Victoria reports that up to 95 per cent of healthcare workers have experienced verbal or physical assault at work.

The consequences of this abuse can be devastating, sometimes leading to post-traumatic or acute stress, physical injury, reduced productivity or loss of livelihood. As a sector, we need to do more to ensure our workplaces are safe and free of physical or verbal abuse, better enabling our people to provide best care.

Join Western Health’s senior executives, clinical leaders and occupational violence prevention experts as they share insights into their multi-award-winning staff safety program ‘Predict, Prevent, Priority: Safety’. Implemented in 2019, the program challenged an organisational mindset that tolerated and normalised occupational violence and aggression (OVA), addressing key beliefs and unsafe practices and moving towards a safety-first approach.

• Dr Norman Swan, physician and ABC broadcaster
• Alex Hagan, futurist and author
• AC Luke Cornelius, Victoria Police’s Assistant Commissioner
• Adjunct Professor Russell Harrison, Chief Executive, Western Health
• Dr Ainslie Senz, Director, Footscray Hospital Emergency Department
• Elisa Ilarda, Operations Manager, Occupational Violence Prevention, Western Health
• James Kolozsi, Director Safety, Risk and Emergency Management, People, Culture and Communication, Western Health

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Norman Swan

AM MBChB, FRCP, DCH, MD (Hon Causa), FAHMS

Dr Swan co-hosts Radio National’s Health Report and during the COVID-19 pandemic, hosted podcast series Coronacast. Norman is also a reporter and commentator on the ABC’s 7:30, Midday, News Breakfast and Four Corners and a guest host on Radio National Breakfast. He is a past winner of the Gold Walkley and has won other Walkleys including one with his Coronacast colleagues in 2020. He created “Invisible Enemies” on pandemics and civilisation for Channel 4 UK and SBS which was subsequently broadcast in 27 countries.

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Keynote Speaker

Alex Hagan

Alex Hagan is a futurist who helps organisations navigate unpredictable futures with confidence. Alex has helped map out future opportunities with governments and companies around the world, and is the author of 'Thriving in Complexity' and 'What The Hell Do We Do Now?'. Based in Melbourne, Australia, Alex has worked with governments, corporations, and individuals on every continent except Antarctica to create the future of their industries, organisations, and workforces.

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