A state government vying for re-election has pledged to ban violent patients from hospitals and force them to pay for their ambulance transport if they abuse or threaten healthcare workers. 

The Victorian Labor Party, led by Premier Ben Carroll, announced the plan this week ahead of the state election on 28 November. 

If re-elected, the party pledged to expand the Workplace Protection Orders scheme — already in place for transport and retail workers — to hospitals, meaning that any violent and abusive offenders could be “limited or banned” from a hospital for up to 12 months. 

Those who breach a Workplace Protection Order could face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to $50,000.