Blaring sirens on smartphones to warn Australians of major disasters
A national test, set to send alerts to about 23m smartphones, is planned for 27 July at 2pm. As many as 90% of phones in Australia are expected to receive them.
Australia is rolling out a new $132m emergency alert system, AusAlert, to warn citizens of natural disasters and other serious events through smartphone alerts. The system will replace state-based text messaging systems and is expected to be fully operational by October 2026. Alerts will be sent for bushfires, floods, biosecurity threats, and other life-threatening events, with the capability to be targeted down to individual streets. A national test is planned for 27 July 2026, aiming to reach about 23 million smartphones. The system is designed to work for most phones released since 2019 and will not allow opting out of the highest-level threat alert.
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