“Some days are hard’: what life is really like as one of Canberra’s parking inspectors
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Thomas is a parking inspector with Access Canberra. Many people might assume his job is handing out parking infringement notices all day, every day.
But Thomas knows his work is a lot more than that.
“We don’t just turn up to work to issue infringements. We serve the community in a greater capacity, which is to help provide Canberrans with safer roads and to ensure that local businesses have the parking access they need to keep their business turning over.
“We work for the community to make sure roads and carparks are being used within the legislation. And we do a lot of public education too.”
Thomas, who previously worked as a driving instructor, enjoys his job most days. He is part of a close-knit teamand inspectors always work in pairs. He likes being out and about all over the city, and he is committed to the job. His colleagues love him, because he is kind and considerate – just a regular nice guy.
One of the things he loves most about his work is the pleasant exchanges he has with people when they approach him to ask about what the rules are, or if they are confused about how to use a machine.
“I am always happy to stop what I am doing to have a chat with someone and we usually both walk away with a smile on our faces.”
But other days can be tough.
When Thomas is wearing his uniform and using his ticketing machine, somehow people stop seeing him as the nice guy and start thinking it’s somehow OK to hurl abuse.
Indeed, being a parking inspector is an ACT Government job that unfortunately receives abuse from members of the public. Occupational violence is any threat or violence towards workers that is never tolerated or acceptable. Violence and abuse …is not just ‘part of the job’.
“Some days are hard to recover from – it’s a lot of adrenaline and my mental health sometimes suffers,” he admits.
Thomas has been screamed at, had tickets hurled in his face, and had to physically leave some areas for his own safety. His colleagues have been physically threatened and had vehicles driven at them at speed. A number ofinteractions with the public have been so serious that they have led parking inspectors to lodge formal police complaints, which are then handled by the courts.
Thomas is grateful for the support he and his team receive at work, and there are many safety measures in place so they can get out on the road knowing that their colleagues and bosses have their backs.
“We do a lot of training and we are usually pretty good at de–escalating any heated situations. Staff debrief after each occupational violence incident which includes making formal police reports where necessary. Every incident has a formal ACT Government safety report created, with our WHS team and managers in consultation with staff looking at mitigation strategies to help prevent similar situations occurring. We may also send warning letters to community members.
“At the end of the day, we are just doing our job. If you are parked illegally or are staying longer than you should in a time-limited spot, there are really good reasons why you shouldn’t do that, and that’s why you may end up with infringement notices,” Thomas explains.
On the issue of public safety, Thomas says many areas are designated no stopping zones to protect visibility for other road users. School zones and no parking zones reflect the need to protect pedestrians and children in particular, so that they are seen clearly, and cars can slow down accordingly.
In terms of short-term parking zones, Thomas notes that businesses require people to have access to their shopfronts, and a lack of available carparks can have a big cost for small business.
“There are good reasons we do what we do and sometimes the general public doesn’t acknowledge any of that.”
When asked what he would like the public to know about himself and his colleagues, Thomas says it’s simple.
“We work for the community and we are friendly Canberrans, often with mortgages, families, friends, pets,hobbies and feelings. We just want to do our job the best way we know how, which also involves communityreciprocal respect and knowing that occupational violence is never okay.”
Workplace violence is never okay. Find out more about how you can help make ACT Government workplaces safe for everyone at act.gov.au/campaigns/workplace-violence.
ACT Government employees featured in these articles have volunteered their stories to raise awareness around occupational violence and the impact this has on them and the Canberra workforce. * For personal privacy, surnames of interviewees have been removed.
