AU Engine

In brief:

• There are a lot of things to think about during the summer holiday period.
• It’s important to do what you can to keep yourself, your family and your things safe.
• This article overviews some actions you can take.

---

From festive parties to trips away, there are so many things to do and enjoy at this time of year.

Taking a moment to read the following tips will help ensure you can celebrate free of unexpected problems.

Travel safely

If you’re hitting the road this summer, remember to take plenty of breaks and drive to the conditions.

It’s also a good idea to pack supplies just in case the car you’re travelling in breaks down.

Never leave a child or pet in the car, even with the windows down or for short periods. Car interiors can heat to over 60 degrees in just five minutes.

Protect your home while you’re away

House break-ins often increase over holiday periods, because offenders know an empty house can be an easy target.

Try to leave your house looking lived-in with the help of a neighbour or house-sitter.

Keeping windows and doors locked, your mail collected, and your lawn mown while you are away can help.

Find more tips in ACT Policing’s property crime prevention page.

Take note of public transport changes

Staying in the ACT? It’s worth noting changes to bus and light rail timetables during the summer school holidays – from Monday 23 December 2024 to Sunday 2 February 2025.

School services and ‘s’ trip diversions will not be in place during the six-week holiday period.

Bus and light rail services will be free on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve (from 5pm). There will be a special bus timetable in place. You don’t even need a MyWay+ card – but if you have one, please tap on and off.

If you choose to leave the car at home on New Year’s Eve, you can take advantage of an extended Tuesday timetable with additional bus and light rail services.

And remember, public transport is free on Fridays.

Make your trip even easier by using the MyWay+ app or TC Journey Planner.

Stay up to date with public transport service alerts

Keep your pets safe and well

As the temperature rises, pets rely on their owners to keep them happy, healthy and safe.

There are some easy ways to do this.

• Avoid walks in heat of the day. Early morning and evening walks are best, and this will also protect their paws from burning.
• Make sure they have access to fresh drinking water and shade around your house and backyard all day.
• Help your pets stay cool with an icy pet treat. There are lots of online recipes to make your own pet-safe summer treats.
• Visit one of the dog swimming spots or fill a kids’ splash pool with water to help your pooch cool down.
• Arrange for someone to care for your pets if you go on holidays.
• Make sure your pet is microchipped and registered so if they escape – such as during a storm – they can easily be returned.
• And remember, never leave your dog in an unattended parked car. Even if you leave the windows down, your dog is still at risk of suffering heat exhaustion within minutes.

Find a dog swimming spot or learn more about recreation with your dog.

Christmas present safety

There’s nothing like nailing that perfect gift, but some presents – particularly those for kids – need a bit of extra care and supervision.

• Portable pools: remember, children can drown in portable pools. Always watch them carefully.
• Button batteries can be deadly if swallowed. Always check the battery compartment is secure on items before buying.
• Choose age-appropriate toys to help prevent injury and choking.
• Trampolines: check and maintain your trampoline. Always watch young children as they bounce.
• Pool toys and floatation aids are for fun, not safety. Stay close and supervise children.
• eRideables: children should only ride age-appropriate devices. They should wear a helmet and have only one person per device.
• Always monitor and unplug lithium-ion products once items are charged. This helps avoid fires and injuries.

Take care of your gas bottles

If you’re planning some barbecues this summer, chances are you have a gas bottle around the house.

You can minimise risk by following these simple safety tips.

• Always ensure adequate ventilation and never use indoors or in confined spaces.
• Always read the manufacturer’s operating instructions.
• Do not connect or disconnect cylinders near a naked flame.
• Do not use LPG in windy conditions.
• Always keep cylinders cool and away from flames, sparks and heat.
• Only use approved or certified hoses and connections designed for gas. Never use home-made ones.

Read more about gas bottle safety

Read more like this:

---

Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

Subscribe to Our CBR

In brief:

• A new podcast about Canberra’s queer history is now available.
• The podcast was supported by funding through the Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs’ Capital of Equality grants program.
• The latest round of grants funding is open now.

---

From Gorman Arts Centre to the Braddon car yards, a new podcast, Queers Past, explores iconic and overlooked LGBTQIA+ sites around the ACT.

Sita Sargeant received an ACT Government Capital of Equality grant in 2023 to produce the podcast.

Her company, She Shapes History runs popular walking tours around Canberra.

One of these, a tour revealing the city’s queer secrets, fuelled her next project.

About Queers Past

Zev Aviv, also from She Shapes History, presents the podcast and brings a trans perspective to the conversation.

Once they started researching and writing the podcast, Zev realised they couldn’t simply reproduce the tour.

“Unlike a tour, where you can gauge your audience’s knowledge and adjust in real-time, a podcast doesn’t allow that interaction. You don’t know what your audience already knows or what gaps need to be filled in, which fundamentally changes the storytelling process,” Zev said.

“So, turning the tour into a podcast wasn’t as straightforward as we’d imagined – it meant adapting and transforming it into something entirely new.”

A goal of connection

The latest round of Capital of Equality grants is now open through the Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs.

Sita and Zev’s hopes for Queers Past echoes the program’s aim of supporting and strengthening Canberra’s LGBTIQA+ communities.

“I really hope it helps LGBTIQA+ Canberrans feel more grounded in this city – more connected to its history and the knowledge that people like them have always been here,” Zev said.

“LGBTIQA+ people have always been part of this community, contributing, pulling their weight, and often going above and beyond to support one another.”

How the grants work

The Capital of Equality grants program offers funding across three streams:

The goal is to create a sense of community and belonging for LGBTIQA+ people, through:

• improved understanding of LGBTIQA+ experiences
• improved wellbeing of LGBTIQA+ people
• increased participation of LGBTIQA+ communities
• increased capacity and leadership.

Zev says the podcast would not have existed without the Capital of Equality grant.

“It has allowed us to pay for all the recording equipment. As a small business I’m not sure we could have justified the spend otherwise,” Sita said.

The application process

Sita found the grant application process simple, with plenty of support available.

“This grant was the second I’d applied for – I was unsuccessful the first time, and I took away some key learnings from that. I’d really encourage people to apply for a grant, but not to be discouraged if they don’t get it the first time,” Sita said.

While the production process had its ups and downs, both Zev and Sita are extremely proud of the result.

“I love Canberra and the ACT so much. We often get a bad rap, but this place is so special. I want those who feel connected to it to feel even prouder and more rooted in its past, while also inspired by the possibilities for its future. My hope is that the podcast helps people feel more at home here – more connected, more proud, and more at ease in their place in this story,” Zev said.

Applications for the Connection Fund and Partnerships and Capacity Building are open until Monday 27 January 2025. Applications for the LGBTIQA+ Leadership Grant are open until 5 January 2025.

Find out more or apply for a grant on the Office of LGBTIQA+ Affairs website.

Read more like this:

---

Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

Subscribe to Our CBR

Everyone has a role to play in creating a safe public health care setting.

Nurses make up half of the healthcare workforce, with roles in clinical care, leadership, education, and research. It is without question that nurses are pivotal to the healthcare system and wellbeing of communities.

Of course, when you’re a nurse, there are plenty of not-so-pleasant things you may encounter during a shift. From blood and other bodily fluids to challenging conversations, and an entire range of germs – it all comes with the job of helping people and making a positive difference to the health of others and the broader community.

But there’s something else nurses are likely to encounter in a shift that should not be a part of the job: violence and unacceptable behaviours. It was when working in different settings, such as on the ward, the emergency department, and outpatients that CJ* really witnessed and experienced it first-hand.

“It happens every day. Some members of the public might think violence is typically perpetrated by people who are intoxicated, or it is related to mental health. But the truth is, what we see is that perpetrators of occupational violence and unacceptable behaviours can be anyone,” she said.

The violence not only comes from the patients, but can come from relatives, carers, partners, visitors and other members of the public who engage with the health service. And it’s not always as clear cut and obvious as physical assault or verbal abuse.

Occupational violence also includes unacceptable behaviours such as snide comments, undermining and gaslighting, sexism, racism, sexually inappropriate behaviours, intimidation, and discrimination. It can also take the form of defamatory comments on social media, or filming staff without their consent.

“I have brown skin and I have an Asian background and I’ve had people ask for a white nurse. Another example – people try to pretend they can’t understand what I’m saying, when you know that they can understand,” says CJ.

“Verbal aggression and inappropriate behaviours are more common than physical assault, and they’re just as hurtful and detrimental to our wellbeing.”

Everyone has a role to play in creating a safe and positive health care setting. This includes nursing and clinical staff, and patients and members of the public being kind and respectful when communicating.

“I always try to do my best to deliver quality care in an imperfect system, but sometimes, I just felt like it’s not enough,” says CJ.

“Say you look after five people, and four people you had positive interactions with, and they were thankful. But then all it takes is that one person to make an awful comment. For some reason, it’s always the negative comment that would stick with me.”

CJ says when she worked in a patient-facing role, it was common for staff to accept that occupational violence was just part of the job, and nurses didn’t always speak up. CJ’s passion for trying to shift this culture and make a positive change to violence against health workers led her to complete a PhD in the area, with a focus on preventing occupational violence in emergency departments.

She is now Director of Occupational Violence Prevention and Management for Canberra Health Services and is working hard to effect change in the industry and be part of the solution.

“In our research, we found that nurses want a comprehensive strategy to feel safer at work. For example, a good strategy should at least strive to identify and meet patients’ health needs, have education and training for nurses, include a team response to occupational violence, and ensure that nurses are supported to recover from incidents if they occur. This is what we are actively working on at Canberra Health Services, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

She closely consults and collaborates with health workers, managers and agencies in patient-facing roles to ensure everyone feels supported and safe to report incidents, and that appropriate action is taken to prevent incidents. She also works to influence policies and procedures to help prevent incidents happening in the future and to reduce the harmful impacts of occupational violence on nurses. This work contributes to the Towards a Safer Culture ‘The Next Steps’ Strategy – a government funded initiative supporting the fundamental rights of nurses and midwives working in ACT public health services to be safe and protected in their workplaces.

“I really try to be the support that I wished for when I was facing violence and unacceptable behaviours as a nurse,” says CJ.

“What I would also like to tell other nurses is that their safety is just as important as patient safety! Don’t be afraid to call out violence and unacceptable behaviours. And don’t be afraid to report incidents, as each report helps us to better manage these risks and make decisions on what is best and safest for both patients and health care workers”.

* For personal privacy, surnames of interviewees have been removed.

Find out more about how you can help make ACT Government workplaces safe for everyone.

---

Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:

Subscribe to Our CBR