Health and Safety

While Australia is generally a safe place to live, it is still important that you take precautions to reduce the chance of incidents occurring.

• Whenever possible, travel in groups. Risk is created by travelling alone.
• Keep valuables such as mobile phones and laptops out of sight. Stay aware of your surroundings when travelling on public transport, especially at night.
• Outside of peak times and at night, travel in the front carriage of the train with the driver or sit in the guard’s compartment. Where possible do not travel in empty carriages.
• Check Public Transport timetables in advance. Avoid long waits on platforms and around Public Transport hubs. If you do have a long wait, stay in well-lit areas or near open shops.
• Walk in well-lit areas even if it means your trip is longer.
• Avoid shortcuts through dark isolated areas.
• If you feel threatened in any way while walking on the street, go to a shop or a house with its light on (if at night) and ask for the police to be contacted.
• Don’t carry large amounts of money with you. You can access money at ATMs or pay via EFTPOS.

Australia has many beautiful beaches and waterways, but it is important to take care when swimming, as our beaches can pose potential risks to inexperienced beachgoers. These risks include:

• Size and strength of our surf
• Rips and strong currents
• Dangerous marine animals

Main beaches are usually patrolled by volunteer lifesavers and the red and yellow flags mark the safest area for swimming. If you visit our beaches, please remember:

Find the red and yellow flags and swim between them.

Look at, understand and obey the safety signs - they help you identify potential dangers and daily conditions at the beach.

Ask a surf lifesaver for advice before you enter the water.

Get a friend to swim with you. You should never swim alone, and parents should always supervise their children.

Stick your hand up for help, stay calm and call for help if you get into trouble. Float with a current or rip - don't try and swim against it.

Learn more about beach safety in Australia.

The Australian sun can be very hot and may be stronger than what you are used to in your home country. Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world. The key to preventing skin cancer is to protect your skin from the sun by practising sun-safe behaviours.

There are six simple steps you can follow to reduce your risk of skin cancer and protect your skin:

1. Minimise your time in the sun between 10am and 3pm
2. Seek shade
3. Wear suitable clothing that provides good sun protection
4. Choose a broad brim, legionnaire-style or bucket-style hat that will protect your face, neck and ears
5. Wear UV protective sunglasses
6. Apply SPF 50+ broad spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen 20 minutes before you go out into the sun and regularly reapply

Australia has many extraordinary and beautiful places to explore. Some tips to consider when venturing into the bush or outback:

• Travel with other people
• Make sure someone knows where you are at all times
• Stay on the road or a walking track
• If you go for a swim in a river or a lake, never dive in – rather, enter the water yourself gradually
• Do not touch or feed wild animals – they are not used to close contact with humans and may hurt you.