A nationwide test of a new emergency warning system is the first step in ensuring the network is not reliant on individual telecommunications providers, the government says.
The test of the AusAlert system will see a 10-second siren sound on all mobile phones across the nation on the afternoon of July 27.
“This system is much more accurate than the current system,” emergency management minister Kristy McBain told ABC News Breakfast on July 27, following several outages from major teleco companies in recent months that saw hundreds of people unable to access triple zero.
“It doesn’t rely on any one telco provider, it’s not subject to network congestion, and we can geolocate an alert down to 160 metres of where an incident is actually occurring.
“We can make those AusAlerts hyper-localised so that people in rapidly evolving events can make immediate decisions about their own safety.”
The AusAlert national emergency alert system is due to replace the current national warning system from October, providing alerts for bushfires, floods and other natural disasters.
The test will be classed as a “critical alert,” meaning devices will vibrate or make the sound even if they are in silent or do not disturb modes.
The AusAlert system was created following the 2020 Royal Commission into Natural Disaster Management to patch gaps in existing state-based emergency alerts.
“This is simply a test,” McBain told reporters on Sunday.
“In an actual event, an AusAlert will tell you what the type of emergency is, where it’s located, and how serious it is.
“It will also tell you the name of the emergency organisation that has sent it, and where to find more information in the case of that emergency.”
McBain emphasied the system would work alongside existing warning channels such as websites, radio, social media, television, and community outreach .
“This is another tool in the toolkit for emergency service organisations,” she said.
While it is designed to operate as a standalone national system, some states and territories will continue to use their own alerts when AusAlert comes into effect in October.
Some jurisdictions have raised concerns, including how those reliant on landlines and non-English speaking households will be protected.
Others say domestic violence victim-survivors may be more isolated from friends and family with the warning system severing a vital link to support networks, as some keep a hidden mobile device for their safety.
McBain said the government had “done a lot of work” with domestic violence groups to limit harm, and that any victims should place their phone in airplane mode before the alert sounds.
By Lucinda Garbutt-Young, Samantha Lock in Canberra
