The Albanese government is overhauling Australia’s national warning system amid an increasingly complex threat environment.
On July 27, an alarm will blare out of almost every phone in the country as a non-dismissible alert flashes up on the screen in the first national AusAlert test.
The message will read: “This is a TEST alert of AusAlert, Australia’s new emergency warning system. NO ACTION IS REQUIRED. In an actual emergency, follow the instructions in the alert to keep yourself and others safe. Visit www.ausalert.gov.au for more information. This message is authorised by the Australian Government.”
The alert will follow a series of targeted tests across the states and territories in June.
Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said on Thursday the tests were crucial “to ensure the technology performs as expected” and “build community awareness before AusAlert is needed in an actual emergency”.
“This is an important project that will help us and emergency services organisations warn people when they are in harm’s way, saving lives and protecting property during a disaster, delivering on a key finding from the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.”
Ms McBain hailed it as “a major development in Australia’s emergency communication landscape, and I thank Australians in advance for their co-operation as we move into the launch phase for AusAlert ahead of the next high risk weather season.”
The system is expected to be operational by October this year with the promised capability of sending alerts to all compatible phones within seconds, making it much faster and more reliable than the current SMS-based system.
However, texts will also continue to be used to ensure as many people are informed of danger as possible.
AusAlert uses two categories – priority and critical.
Australians will be able to opt out of priority alerts, which is intended as a watch and act.
But critical alerts cannot be disabled.
Critical alerts are meant to warn Australians when their lives are in immediate danger.
They can be highly targeted, with its smallest radius just 160m.
The system is designed to be used in a range of scenarios, including natural hazards, public safety and security threats, biosecurity incidents and health emergencies.
