Youth mental health workers at a clinic in Sunshine, located in Melbourne's west, have been instructed to work off-site after a violent incident involving four masked men armed with machetes. The attackers targeted two 19-year-old patients at the clinic, believed to be known to each other, and assaulted them around 3:50 pm on Tuesday, July 29th, 2026.

Victoria Police confirmed officers attended the centre following the assault. Fortunately, the victims from Melton and Wyndham Vale were not physically injured. The offenders fled the scene in a vehicle.

This attack is part of a series of assaults on staff at the Parkville Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Service (PYMHWS), which operates a clinic within the Sunshine Visy Cares Hub. Due to ongoing physical risks from repeated exposures to occupational violence and aggression, including armed assaults, staff safety concerns have escalated.

Paul Healey, state secretary of the Health and Community Services Union (HACSU), described the incident as "completely unacceptable and deeply distressing." He supported PYMHWS's decision to relocate staff off-site until the workplace can be deemed safe again, stating, "We've welcomed the immediate actions of PYMHWS, whose staff have opted to move off-site until such time as the workplace is safe."

The relocation aims to protect both staff and patients amid rising concerns over workplace violence in youth mental health services.

Sources