Security in Australia

In Australian Cities: Australia as a whole, is a very secure place to travel, study and live. You can still walk day or night in any Australian city without the risk of being assaulted. But it doesn't mean that nothing happens. It can happen, but it is very rare. All you have to do is make sure that you don't make it easy for thieves, and be careful about things that you do. One precaution you can take is never leave values in sight in your car, and if you are riding a bicycle, and are parking anywhere including shopping centers, put a chain with a padlock on both wheels and through the frame. These small incidents of theft are mainly practiced by people on drugs, who need cash to sustain their addiction, and unfortunately it is growing year after year, despite the excellent efforts made by Police to contain the problem. If you have anything stolen, do not hesitate to report it to the local Police Station. Most busy places in main Australian cities are now monitored by surveillance cameras.

In the fields and Rural Areas: The main danger in these areas is not from thieves, but from dangerous animals that live in Australia. It is very difficult to be a victim of one of those animals, but it is better to know about it than risk your life. Australian Beaches: Some Australian Beaches in urban areas are protected by shark nets. Sharks represent a very small danger for beach goers, because there are almost zero causalities in a year. The bigger danger is from the rips and currents that can occur at any time, and it doesn't matter how big or small the waves are. You must take a lot of care especially on unpatrolled beaches.

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Swim only between the Life Guard flags. Also, some beaches can be full of jellyfish, depending on the time of year. Most Australian jellyfish just give a temporary burning sensation, when touched by the stings. But there are deadly ones that you must know about. These jellyfishes are explained in the dangerous animals section also. If you have any problems with jellyfish, Life Savers can give you first aid with Vinegar and other anti-allergic creams. The second important care you must take on an Australian beach is exposure to the sun which is very strong and can cause skin cancer. Make sure you take solar block, hats, and shirt to the beach always. Don't expose yourself for too long or you will end up uncomfortable, itchy and red as a lobster! 

Australian Night Clubs: They are safe, but you don't know the people that are there. So, do not leave your drink unattended and go dancing or to the toilet. Just to have an idea, in Melbourne in 2002, over a period of 6 months there were 82 registered cases of women whose drinks were spiked with a horse tranquillizer. When someone spikes your drink, you becomes like a Zombie and don't react to anything. It is not only happening with women, but also men. These idiots dope the victims' drink to rape or rob them of money and credit cards. Some victims even invite the thieves inside their home and they don't remember it later. So, be alert, have fun, and ask someone you trust to watch your drink while you are doing something else. If you forget or are suspicious, throw your drink out and buy another one. The Australian Government is giving very tough jail terms for these stupid maniacs.

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 Australians love security and as a consequence, the number of people who have insurance is huge. Australians insure everything from homes and cars, to health and death, and anything else you can imagine. One of the most important insurances in Australia you must have is heath and liability, including one that covers Lawyers' expenses. If you are coming to Australia for tourism, I recommend you do one that covers all the abovementioned plus ambulance just in case. This last one costs only AU$ 30 per year but if something happens outside an urban centre you don't have to spend a fortune on Ambulance transfers. Doctors and Lawyers are very, very, very expensive in Australia, as well as dentists and if you hit someone with your bicycle and this person has to spend a few days in a hospital and out of work, the bill that you will have to pay will be catastrophic. That is the why liability insurance is very important. For those coming to study in Australia, there is a compulsory health cover, usually very affordable. Liability is not covered with this Health Cover insurance.

Medical Centre, where to consult a GP