Two men charged after Spotlight employee stabbed in Hobart's northern suburbs

One man has been charged and another remains in custody after a Spotlight staff member was allegedly stabbed at the rear of the store in Hobart's northern suburbs.

Police said they were called to the incident on Howard Road at Glenorchy about 1:35pm on Sunday.

They allege two men approached the rear of the store and stole an item.

An employee who approached the pair was assaulted, police said.

The employee was taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital and received medical assistance for a small knife wound. He has since been released.

Police arrested two men overnight, charging a 28-year-old man with wounding, common assault, stealing, and drug and bail-related offences.

He was detained in custody to appear in the Hobart Magistrates Court today.

Another man remains in custody assisting police with their enquiries.

Call for 'zero-tolerance' response

In response to violent crime in the city, the independent member for Elwick, Bec Thomas, has called for a "united, zero-tolerance response".

"My thoughts are with the injured worker, his family and colleagues, and everyone who witnessed or was affected by this frightening incident," Ms Thomas said.

"No-one should go to work fearing they may be threatened, assaulted or stabbed. No customer should have to witness violence while simply going about their day.

"Violence against workers and in public places must never be normalised."

Ms Thomas has long been calling for a range of measures to address crime in her electorate, including workplace protection orders, stronger powers and training for shopping centre security guards, as well as measures to limit access to knives and other sharp objects.

"I welcomed the government's June announcement that it would introduce workplace protection orders, but three months later the community is still waiting for draft legislation," Ms Thomas said.

She is also calling for the Police Offences Amendment (Knives and Prohibited Weapons) Bill 2026 to be progressed.

The draft bill proposes banning the sale or supply of knives to people under 18 and requiring secure storage and signage by retailers.

"Enough is enough. Glenorchy residents, workers and businesses deserve action, not another round of regret after someone has been hurt," she said.

Government minister Nick Duigan has described the alleged stabbing at Spotlight as unacceptable and said people should be able to go about their day safely.

In response to Ms Thomas's call for faster progression of laws relating to violent crime, he said: "We have got legislation coming; it has been out for consultation."

"That's important but it's also important to recognise we've giving police [knife] wanding powers so we've leant in there to give them the tools that they need to keep our community safe," he said.

"We take the issue very seriously, we want to be proactive on it and we are introducing a number of pieces of legislation to keep our community safe."