Making our eCity safer

The City of Gosnells equipped senior residents to be safer online, with a special Cyber Safety Workshop for residents at Amaroo Retirement Village last month.

The workshop was part of the Safe City initiative, which works closely with community members on safety and crime prevention initiatives.

Mayor Terresa Lynes said keeping safe online could be tricky for many residents.

“It’s easy to think of community safety as how safe we feel when we walk down the street or reducing the risk of theft and break-ins, but keeping safe online is increasingly important to our community,” she said.

“These days we keep many personal details online – almost without thinking about it – and cyber crime is increasing across the globe. Luckily, there are ways to reduce your risk online and feel more confident about using online services.”

The workshop was facilitated by a representative from Edith Cowan University and covered account protection, how to create secure passwords, multi-factor authentication, how to report cyber crime and where to seek help if you have been hacked.

Participants also received information from the Australian Cyber Security Centre.

Councillor Glenn Dewhurst visited the workshop and said there had been a rapid increase in the number and types of organisations that offered online services to residents, including online banking, accessing eBooks and other resources from the library, and making an appointment with a doctor.

“Whether you are an occasional user of online technology, or are more tech-savvy, the world of cyber safety changes quickly and it is important to keep up to date on how to keep yourself safe online,” he said.

Local not-for-profit community organisations interested in holding a safety workshop can contact Safe City on 9391 6020 or email safecity@gosnells.wa.gov.au.

Click here to find out more about the Safe City initiative.