A national test of Australia’s new warning system will be rolled out to every phone and device in Australia on Monday 27th July at 2pm AEST. At that time, a single Critical AusAlert test will be sent to every mobile, tablet and smartwatch in Australia. Devices will vibrate and play a siren-like warning sound for about 10 seconds. This will sound even if your phone is on silent or ‘do not disturb’. An AusAlert message will appear on device screens. It will clearly say it is a test. An example is below: https://outlook.office.com/e9538986-06f0-48cb-8038-3c795977a69c
About AusAlert – AusAlert is a new national warning system that will send warnings about emergencies and disasters to all compatible devices in the affected area.
It will provide warnings about emergencies and disasters such as:
- Natural hazards – such as bushfires, floods, cyclones, earthquakes or tsunamis
- Security threats – e.g. serious public safety events or terrorism
- Biosecurity incidents – e.g. animal or plant disease or biohazard outbreaks
- Health emergencies – e.g. pandemics or other major public health issues
Devices -These alerts will be received by mobile phones, tablets and smartwatches.
- Devices do not require a sim card to receive the alert.
- Devices will receive the alert unless they are switched off.
Things to note
- A ‘Critical’ alert message will be intrusive (i.e. it will sound on your device even if your phone is on silent or DND)
- Messages will be limited to the geographic area affected by the emergency.
- Alerts will be in English
Community resources – There are lots of community resources available to help spread the word including posters, information in 19 languages, and guides for particular populations such as older people, children and teens, people with disabilities, first nations, and remote and regional communities.