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.
Privacy
The Emergency Alert website is an initiative of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and is administered by the State of Victoria.
The State of Victoria has a firm commitment to privacy in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2000 (Vic), Information Privacy Principles and the Website Privacy Guidelines issued by the Office of the Victorian Privacy Commissioner. This statement discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this site.
The Commonwealth, States and Territories are subject to relevant Commonwealth, State and Territory Privacy Acts. Links to Commonwealth, State and Territory Privacy Acts can be found on the Australian Government Privacy Commissioner's website - http://www.privacy.gov.au/law/states.
Information logged
When you visit this site, our server logs the following information which is provided by your browser for statistical purposes only:
- The type of browser and operating system you are using
- Your top level domain name (for example .com, .gov, .au, .uk etc)
- The address of the referring site (for example, the previous site that you visited)
- Your server's IP address (a number which is unique to the machine through which you are connected to the Internet: usually one of your service provider's machines).
In addition, our server logs the following information:
- The date and time of your visit
- The address of the pages accessed and the documents downloaded
All of this information we use only for statistical analysis or systems administration purposes. No attempt will be made to identify users or their browsing activities, except in the unlikely event of an investigation where a law enforcement agency may exercise a warrant.
Electronic mail addresses
We will only record your e-mail address if you send us a message. It will only be used for the purpose for which you provide it, and will not be added to a mailing list unless you request that this be done. We will not disclose it without your consent.
Cookies
A cookie is an electronic token that is passed to your browser and your browser passes it back to the server whenever a page is sent to you.
Our server generates one cookie which is used to keep track of the pages you have accessed while using our server. The cookie allows you to page back and forwards through the web site and return to pages you have already visited. The cookie exists only for the time you are accessing our server.
Searches
Search terms that you enter when using our search engine are collected, but are not associated with any other information that we collect. We use these search terms to ascertain what people are looking for at our site, and to improve the services that we provide.
Links to other sites
This site contains links to other sites. The State of Victoria is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such web sites.
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.
