Safety and protection

>> Financial and Legal Information for Senior Territorians (click to download) – includes information on making a well, advance personal plans, protecting your personal information, legal advice, your rights at retirement and protecting yourself from elder abuse.

In this section: Emergencies | Personal and home safety | Discrimination and abuse | Consumer protection | More information

Emergencies

• Emergencies – How to get help in an emergency. About emergency response services.
• Preparing for a disaster
  • Cyclone Planning for Seniors
    • City of Darwin Pre-Cyclone Clean Up (for assistance to remove items 08 8930 0300)
  • Senior and Safer booklet features hints and tips to assist seniors to minimise risks and make their homes safer. (This was published for Queensland Seniors, but many of the tips apply here in the Territory).
  • The Red Cross Emergency REDiplan booklet helps seniors, people with a disability; their carers and families prepare, respond and recover from disasters.

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Personal and home safety

• Safety at home
  • Your Home – Information on how to plan and create a safer and more comfortable home environment for you and your loved ones, as you get older.  
  • Electrical safety at home (Electrical Safety team at NT WorkSafe on 1800 019 115)
  • Fire safety at home 
  • Home security – protect your home, safety on the phone, if you are confronted in your home
  • Neighbourhood safety – CrimeStoppers 1800 333 000
  • Reduce your risk of falling
    • Don’t fall for it
• Safety in public
  • Personal safety advice – out at night, on the street, on the bus, on the road, at the shops, at the ATM
  • BeCrocWise
• Safety online
  • eSafetySeniors – Online safety advice and support for older Australians from eSafety Commissioner
  • Scams Awareness Week 2020 – Don’t let a scammer be you

More information about making your home safe is available to COTA NT members in the White Papers section of the Members only pages. They may also access the COTA NT Home Maintenance Service.

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Discrimination and abuse

• Elder abuse
• Discrimination 
• Support services

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Consumer protection

• Northern Territory Consumers Affairs assist with consumer protection within the purchase of goods and services, residential tenancies and residential building disputes. They  help business too (more). NT Consumer Affairs 1800 019 319
  • For senior Territorians – home care, scams, door to door sales people, residential tenancy, funeral RIP offs, travelling con-men
  • For consumers –  Easy English fact sheets, Aboriginal issues, caravan parks legislation, complaints and disputes, consumer rights, contracts, gifts cards and vouchers, vehicles, NDIS, owed residential tenancy bond monies, product safety, pyramid selling, residential building disputes, residential tenancies, scams, shopping for goods and services, travel information, travelling con-men, unsolicited trading.
  • Australian Consumer Law

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More information

The following resources can be accessed via the links and phone numbers below:

• NT Police Fire & Emergencies
• Neighbourhood Watch NT
• Victims of Crime NT
• Lifeline
• Australian Red Cross – 1300 554 419
• St Vincent de Paul Society
• Insurance Council of Australia’s
• Financial Ombudsman Service

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Further information and reading

• www.scamwatch.gov.au – a reliable source of information on scams and a place to report scams
• The impact of scams
• How scammers work
• What to look for
• How to protect yourself
• Where to seek help

Source: Information is provided by Australian Competition & Consumer Commission

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