At Illawarra Urgent Response, we believe everyone has the right to attend an event, participate in their community and be themselves without fear of discrimination, harassment, intimidation, threats or abuse.

The Illawarra Urgent Response Safe Place Program exists so that when you see our team at an event, you know there is somewhere you can turn if you feel unsafe.

Our presence should mean more than the services we have been engaged to provide.

It should mean you have somewhere to go, someone who will listen, and someone who will help.

If You Don't Feel Safe, Come to Us

If you are being threatened, harassed, intimidated, discriminated against or targeted because of your race, culture, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other part of who you are, you can approach an Illawarra Urgent Response team member.

You do not need to be injured.

You do not need to be experiencing a medical emergency.

And you do not need to wait until a situation becomes serious before asking for help.

If you feel unsafe, come to us.

We will listen to you. We will take your concerns seriously. We will treat you with dignity and respect, and we will work with you to determine the safest and most appropriate next steps.

A Safe Place for LGBTQIA+ People

The Safe Place Program carries a particularly important message for members of the LGBTQIA+ community:

You are welcome. You are respected. You are safe to come to us.

Whether you are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, questioning or identify elsewhere within our diverse community, you deserve to participate in public life without fear of hatred or abuse because of who you are.

If you experience homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, threats, intimidation or other identity-based abuse at an event where we are present, find our team.

We will respect your identity.

We will listen.

We will take you seriously.

And we will help you find an appropriate pathway to safety.

A Safe Place for Everyone

Our Safe Place Program is for everyone.

Whether you are being targeted because of your Aboriginality, race, ethnicity, culture, religion, disability, sex, sexuality, gender identity, gender expression or another part of who you are, you are welcome to approach us.

There is no test you need to pass and no particular community you need to belong to.

If you feel unsafe, you can come to us.

When Your Safety Is at Risk

Wherever possible, you will remain part of the decisions concerning your safety.

If further assistance is required, our team will discuss this with you and, where appropriate, contact event management, security, police, emergency services or another appropriate authority on your behalf.

We promise to keep you informed about what we are doing and why, wherever it is safe and reasonably practicable to do so.

However, there may be circumstances where the danger is immediate and consultation is not reasonably possible.

If our personnel reasonably believe that your life or immediate safety is under serious threat, we will act.

In those circumstances, protecting life and preventing further harm becomes our priority. Our personnel may contact Triple Zero (000), police, event security or another appropriate authority without waiting for your permission where they reasonably believe immediate action is necessary to protect you or another person from serious harm.

Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, our personnel will help you move away from the immediate danger, remain with you, provide first aid if required, alert appropriate personnel and take reasonable steps within their role and capabilities to protect your immediate wellbeing.

We will continue to communicate with you and explain what is happening as soon as it is safe to do so.

Your Safety — and Ours

Our commitment to protecting others does not mean creating another casualty.

Illawarra Urgent Response personnel are not police or security officers, and our Safe Place Program does not give our personnel powers to arrest, detain or forcibly remove another person.

Our people are also entitled to go home safely.

If an immediate situation becomes violent or presents an unacceptable risk, our personnel will take reasonable action within their training, role and capabilities to protect you, other people and themselves, while requesting assistance from those appropriately equipped and authorised to manage the threat.

We will not expect our personnel to unnecessarily place themselves in danger.

Protecting you also means making sure the people helping you remain safe enough to continue helping.

What Happens When You Come to Us?

Depending on the circumstances, we may help you move to a safer location, remain with you while assistance is arranged, contact someone you trust, notify event management or security, provide first aid, contact police or request emergency assistance.

What happens next will depend on the circumstances, the level of risk and what you want to happen.

Wherever reasonably possible, we will make those decisions with you—not for you.

The exception is where waiting could place you, another person or our personnel at immediate risk of serious harm.

Our Safe Place Promise

We cannot promise that discrimination, hatred, harassment or violence will never occur at an event.

We cannot promise that we can solve every situation.

But we can promise what happens when you come to us.

We will listen.

We will take you seriously.

We will respect who you are.

We will involve you wherever possible.

We will keep you informed wherever it is safe to do so.

We will seek appropriate help when you need more than we can provide.

And if we reasonably believe that your life or immediate safety is in serious danger, we will not simply stand by—we will take reasonable action within our role and capabilities to protect life, wellbeing and safety while getting the appropriate authorities to you.

No person should feel that they have nowhere to turn because of who they are, who they love, where they come from or how they identify.

When you see Illawarra Urgent Response at an event, remember:

If you don't feel safe, come to us.

For Community. For Country. Always and Forever.