A loud alarm will blare from almost every phone in Australia in five months as a new emergency system is rolled out, scrapping the old SMS alerts and providing a lifeline for people caught up in life-threatening situations.
Called AusAlert, the national emergency warning system will send urgent messages to compatible phones within up to 160m of an impacted area. “It will alert people to the type of hazard that they are facing, its severity, whereabouts and importantly what action to take,” Emergency Management Coordinator-General Brendan Moon said.
The system will deliver two types of notifications: a critical alert that triggers a loud siren on the phone, followed by a second message containing priority information.
AusAlert is a $132 million program intended to replace the current state-based SMS emergency alerts. A nationwide test is scheduled to hit phones across the country on July 27 at 2pm, with the system set to officially launch in October.
“AusAlert messages will appear differently to our current text-based message systems,” Emergency Management Minister Kirsty McBain said. “They will appear on locked screens of mobile devices and exist outside of the standard text messaging app.”
While the system will prioritise natural disasters, it can also be used to warn people nearby about other life-threatening situations, including serious public safety incidents or terrorism. Similar technology is already used by more than 30 countries for emergency warning communications.
The government says AusAlert will be more reliable, accurate and efficient than existing SMS alerts. Phones made from 2019 onwards will be compatible, with testing on older devices still underway. Localised tests are due to begin from June 10 in selected areas before the national rollout in October.
The move follows the 2020 Royal Commission into National Nature Disaster Arrangements, which found emergency warning systems, including mobile alerts, are critical during disasters.
