Only call 000 (TTY 106) if you are in critical need of emergency services (police, fire or ambulance)
This website does not contain emergency information or warnings.If you require emergency information, click on your State or Territory below.
Copyright
All material on this site is subject to Copyright.
The material available on this website has been provided by a variety of Australian Government, State, and Territory Government agencies and those non-government bodies having been identified as relevant to Australian emergency management issues.
The State of Victoria retains copyright in all material on the site that is authored by the State of Victoria. Copyright in the material provided by other government and non-government bodies belongs to those bodies.
The material contained on this web site is intended for your general use and information. You may display, download, print and reproduce this material in unaltered form only for your personal, non-commercial use or use within your organisation. You may distribute any copies of downloaded material in unaltered, complete form only. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, all other rights are reserved.
Requests for further authorisation should be directed to the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner - Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Frequently asked questions
How do I know that the message is authentic?
0444 444 444 is the number assigned to Emergency Alert. This number will always be displayed in the message header or caller identification.
When will I be able to receive a message on my mobile phone based on the location of the mobile phone at the time of the emergency?
On 13 January 2012, the Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Robert McClelland MP and Acting Victorian Premier Peter Ryan announced that the Victorian Government has signed a contract with Telstra to enhance the national Emergency Alert telephone warning system to deliver a Location Based Warning System to the Telstra network by November 2012. Negotiations with the other two telecommunications carriers are continuing. For more information on receiving telephone-based emergency warnings, please see the fact sheet receiving telephone-based emergency warnings.
How many times has Emergency Alert been used?
Since Emergency Alert became operational on 1 December 2009 it has been used 344 times and issued approximately 7.2 million messages. The system has been used in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory for a range of emergencies. These include storm, flood, tsunami, bushfire, storm surge, chemical incident and missing person emergencies.
(Current as of 7am 17 January 2012)
Why isn't the message going to mobile phones based on the location of the mobile phone at the time of the emergency?
It was not technically possible to incorporate a location based capability and have the existing system operational for 1 December 2009.
The capability to send warnings to mobile phones based on the location of the handset has been funded by the Federal Government. Telstra is the first of the telecommunications carriers to sign up to deliver a capability to provide warnings to mobile phones by their location. This will be implemented in November 2012.
Victoria continues to lead the negotiations with the other two mobile carriers on behalf of all States and Territories.
When will it be used?
In the case of an emergency, you may receive a voice message on your landline or a text message on your mobile phone. It is for use in a range of emergency situations, including bushfires and other extreme weather events.
What is Emergency Alert?
Emergency Alert is a telephone warning system that emergency services can use to send alerts to communities via landline telephones based on the location of the handset, and to mobile phones, based on the service address of the phone.
Will I get an alert that’s not relevant to me?
Emergency Alert is operated and activated by authorised personnel from emergency services organisations. It allows for localised, community based warnings to be issued by area or geographic region to landlines and to mobile phones based on the service address of the phone.
