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.

What 'call display' will come up on the mobile - can I call that number back for more information?

The message header will display ‘0444 444 444’. If you call the number, the number will play a generic announcement informing callers that their mobile phone has received an emergency message and further information should be sought from local radio or emergency services websites. No specific information about individual emergencies is provided.

I frequently travel overseas with my mobile, will I get these alerts while overseas or interstate?

If the phone has international roaming the alert is sent and received, providing the handset is turned on.

What can I do to manage mobile phone ‘blackspots’?

If you live in an area where you believe there is a mobile phone ‘blackspot’, you should seek advice from your telecommunications provider on what options there are to improve your mobile phone coverage.

As the system sends warnings to both landlines and mobile phones, it is also recommended that if you live in an area where there are mobile phone ‘blackspots’, you should also have a landline telephone (not cordless).

Is Emergency Alert able to send messages to prepaid mobile phones?

Emergency Alert is able to send messages to you if you have a prepaid mobile phone. However, there is no obligation to update your address once you have purchased a prepaid mobile phone. The address that you provided when you bought the phone, which is typically the address on your driver's licence, is the address that remains with that phone if you do not update it. You should contact your service provider to update your address.

What does mobile phone by service address mean?

When a decision is made to send an alert to a particular area, it is based on all phones that are linked to properties and houses in that area, not to a person in that area.