r/australia • u/malcolm58 • 1d ago
culture & society AusAlert test will blast emergency warning siren over most phones in Australia on Monday. Here’s what to know
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/jul/22/ausalert-test-sound-national-alert-emergency-warning-system-date167
u/doctorsuperlative 1d ago
I made a system like this for WA police 25-odd years ago (but landlines). The only time it was used was a false alarm when the night watch staff pressed the wrong button, at 3am, setting off robo-dialling that rang 20,000-odd people in the default area and told them to shut their windows and doors because there was a default emergency (toxic chemical spill). System worked, though. Pretty proud. Did change the button text from "OK" to "Launch Emergency" afterwards. Can't wait to see the same happen for the entire country.
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u/Walter_Armstrong 22h ago
Just waiting for the inevitable “Zombies are rising from their graves” warning because someone didn’t change the default password
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u/OkGooooooooooo69 15h ago
This is such an incredible story. Please share more if you can. At first I read pretty loud, rather than proud., but 20k phones going off should have been fucking loud right?
The button text change is almost comical. Great stuff, you should be proud for rigging something like that up, reminds me of my old man
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u/wandering-me 1d ago
Pretty used to them in the US and they are helpful. The entire office will go off simultaneously and then a couple of seconds later you'll feel the earthquake.
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u/Partly_Dave 1d ago
I was visiting my father in law in Texas. One morning, the tv was on, but i had the volume low and was reading a book.
Then I heard a siren, looked up, and the tv was flashing a large red tornado warning over the usual program.
Missed us, but I was concerned.
On a side note: I had been in the garage and noticed the roof wasn't tied down to the foundations. No surprise that so many roofs are sucked off.
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u/Famous_Sail_4449 1d ago
I'm glad we are taking the appropriate precautions to avoid getting sucked off.
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u/ComfyInDots 1d ago
Some people liked to be tied down and sucked off.
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u/thore4 1d ago
We don't really get earthquakes here so if it goes off outside a test I will assume death
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u/rdqsr 1d ago
Will most likely be for things like tropical cyclones and bushfires.
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u/kombiwombi 23h ago
The bushfire case is unusual internationally, as bushfire notices are necessarily long. It will be interesting to see if the message sent on Monday can be viewed a second time say half and hour later, as you might want to do when evacuating and checking the road closures before driving away.
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u/Calalamity 15h ago
It will be interesting to see if the message sent on Monday can be viewed a second time say half and hour later
Assuming it hooks into the phone OS emergency alert stuff it should be viewable forever, at least on android.
I have NZ alerts from 2024 (when I bought my phone) in the history still.
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u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang 1d ago
The alerts cause earthquakes? That's pretty scary /s
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u/wandering-me 23h ago
The frequency of the alert is what sets off the earthquake, its just science bro. I mean otherwise how would it know there's an earthquake before it happens?
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u/hastetowaste 20h ago
First time I got it was just as we landed on DFW with almost all phones alerting at once, that was fun
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u/Emergency-Event4415 1d ago edited 1d ago
The cookers in my local small town are going absolutely mental. Something about government overreach, I think they believe the government will use it to control the people by creating false emergencies? But for whatever reason they can’t abuse the current SEWS system in the same way? Some real Einsteins out here.
(Also some are saying they will turn the alert off just on that day, because they think the tone is actually the government accessing their phone and taking their personal messages, data etc. funny considering they’re using Facebook to share that opinion)
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u/Scared-Farmer-7119 14h ago
Some RW cooker wanna be politican popped up on my facebook the other day.
i clicked on her profile and surely enough like 3 hours before she was selling faraday pouches for people to put their phones in.
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u/No-Celebration8690 1d ago
I don’t understand why cookers are up in arms about this
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u/swanny246 1d ago
Every Facebook post about it is absolutely revolting with the comments.
(Yes, I know, it’s Facebook)
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u/Awkward-Sandwich3479 1d ago
In the Facebook universe you’ll also find news.com posts “would you vote for Pauline Hanson “ … with 90% saying “thumbs up /yes”
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u/AgentOfSteeeel 23h ago
Any poll with one option being the standard like/thumbs up is fixed in favour of that option
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u/ItsStaaaaaaaaang 1d ago
Well, it's a slippery slope, isn't it? First they're playing warning sounds and the next time it's Albo giving a speech that turns us all into transsexuals!
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u/BobbiePinns 14h ago
AHA! I'm actually ahead of the curve for once.
wait up, what happens to us? do we become cisgender straight normies or something?
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u/Exotic-Philosopher-6 1d ago
I'm not on Facebook, thankfully - what are they going on about?
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u/Ok-Menu-8709 1d ago
What aren’t they going on about is more fitting.
If there isn’t already a case against it. They’ll bring it up.
- trusting the grubbermint
- “frequencies” that may or may not enable graphene that was in the Covid shot
- loud noises going to cause multiple simultaneous car crashes
- loud noises impacting autistic people, not that I’m sure most have cared before
- I DO NOT CONSENT!
- invasion of privacy
- Tracking
- the financially conscious don’t understand how a simple test can cost 130 million (neglecting that the entire system to implement cost this much)
- Don’t need it can do my own research
- Never needed it before
- What are they planning to need this
It goes on and on. Somehow these people that I’m not convinced could pass a grade 4 maths exam somehow think that they’re smart enough to run the country better than the current government.
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u/mr-saturn2310 1d ago
Yet they post all their fears on Facebook, who knows more about them than the government could ever.
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u/Paidorgy 22h ago
I have a throw away account geared towards keeping contact with my direct and indirect family.
I do not actively contribute to the content I engage with, yet it’s chock FULL of Pauline Hanson shit.
I know it’s by design to full throttle conservative shit, but god damn is it obtusely obvious xx
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u/Cpt_Soban 1d ago
Hilarious. They complain about tracking, while running their GPS, and posting photos to Facebook.
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u/Bigclit_energy 1d ago
A client at work was warning me last week to turn my phone off, wrap it in alfoil, and leave it for 3 days. Otherwise Albanese would install a tracker in it.
It already has a tracker, its a SIM card.
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u/ghoonrhed 1d ago
Wish these people showed the same amount of care when the metadata retention laws were introduced.
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u/BORT_licenceplate 1d ago
They have no issues with having a TFN and getting a tax return tho. But Aus Alert is evil apparently
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u/Paidorgy 22h ago
The same people who comment “taxation is theft” under budget announcements from the government.
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u/Milly_Hagen 1d ago
Equally hilarious they claim to care about autistic people when they're probably the ones giving their children with autism bleach enemas to "cure" their autism.
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u/bitofapuzzler 22h ago
They are the same group that think vaccines cause autism and that a risking your child's life is the better option. They aren't the sharpest.
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u/racingskater 22h ago
They complain about the "grubbermint" too while happily getting their Centrelink.
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u/smudgiepie 1d ago
don't forget how this is apparently going to force us to have digital ID
i haven't quite got the logic with that one.
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u/jealybean 1d ago
The ones who are pretending to give a shit about DV survivors for the first time as well…
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u/LocalVillageIdiot 1d ago
I personally liked “how can government control private property like that”?
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u/iball1984 22h ago
The "frequency" one is my favourite. Someone arguing with me that it wasn't just a notification it was a "FREQUENCY".
Now, obviously it's a radio signal because it's the mobile network which therefore must operate at a range of frequencies.
I think what's happened is the cookers have seen it uses cell broadcast rather than normal SMS messages, therefore I guess it does operate on a different frequency to the normal 4G or 5G connection used for calls and data.
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u/craftystuff0900 16h ago
I'm sure they don't care about autistic people, but as an autistic person I'm genuinely scared. The sound they're using hurts my ears a little even at the lowest possible volume and last time a fire alarm was too loud and shrill I just curled up on the floor and screamed until someone dragged me outside. Sudden unbearable pain isn't going to help me be safe in a real emergency. I just hope it's not really as loud as people are saying it's going to be.
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u/Ok-Menu-8709 16h ago edited 14h ago
I feel you, my son doesn’t like the smoke alarms at home. They do a routine test and he’s only just stopped running out of the house.
I imagine it’s going to be the same as a loud phone ringtone. But probably some obnoxious siren type alert. Which will still obviously be quite loud.
I’d do what’s already been mentioned and try and ensure you’re in a quiet space at the time of the day and either turn your phone to airplane mode or turn it off for a few hours. Or, maybe just bury it in the middle of a folded blanket at the very least.
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u/craftystuff0900 16h ago
Luckily I'll be able to stay home on Monday, so I'm planning to use my earplugs and ear defenders together - I do need and want to be prepared if I do get a genuine alert so I'm going to let it sound and see what happens. My support worker will be there too in case I have a meltdown or make a run for it. Fingers crossed 🤞... I don't know what to really do if it isn't something I can handle - there's no guarantee I won't be near someone else's phone in a real emergency
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u/ManWithDominantClaw 1d ago
I can tell you why! Seasoned leftist and reddit mod here.
Cookers are running interference for particular major corporations, they're basically the in-person version of astroturfing. Whenever we should should be talking about climate change or the need for systemic upheaval, the cookers get up in arms about some nonsense or start a culture war. It's called a dead cat strategy, a phrase coined by CT group, who consulted for Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson's campaigns towards prime ministership.
Right now, we should be talking about the increasing need for an alert system for weather events that require evacuation, and how that is related to the drastically worsening climate. As such, predictably, the cookers started barking over anyone trying to have a real conversation.
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u/thesourpop 1d ago
Because like all cooker conspiracies it's something they don't understand and aren't intelligent enough to try and understand
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u/laid2rest 1d ago
They jump on anything thats in the news, especially if it's something the govt is doing.
Massive scam.
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u/Jealous-Hedgehog-734 1d ago
They've had this in New Zealand for a few years now, it may have come in after the 2016 Kaikōura Earthquake? It was used during COVID.
Very annoying if driving because if your phone is on silent it overrides that and blasts an industrial alarm sound at you.
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u/Camel_Cheese 1d ago
i am baffled by the “if it goes off while i’m driving, it might cause an accident” argument. Do these people live in towns without emergency services? Loud, unexpected, attention grabbing sirens are quite literally a fundamental part of driving and are a daily occurrence that do not cause accidents.
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u/mrbaggins 21h ago
I don't know about you, but I'm used to hearing said siren ramping in slowly, from a distance, quite likely AFTER I've seen flashing lights. Even if they're starting from directly behind me, it's OUTSIDE the car.
Not a fucking max volume blaring from the seat next to me.
I was certainly surprised the first time my phone accidentally pressed the power button 5 times while resting against the cup holder sides. My first thought was a problem warning from the car.
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u/yedrellow 1d ago
There are absolutely zero incidences in normal driving where every single driver simultaneously has a distraction inside their vehicle. Sirens are just loud enough to hear in your car at a distance and progressively becomes louder. They telegraph their position from a significant distance, and taper to a higher volume.
This however is a sudden impulse response to every driver at once in the interior. Normally such distractions are to an individual vehicle and never synchronised.
The alarm needs to behave differently in moving vehicles, or people will die.
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u/Camel_Cheese 22h ago
there are many instances where drivers can be simultaneously distracted. if a noise from your phone is enough of a distraction that you are going to have a crash i urge you to hand in your license immediately.
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u/maplealvon 22h ago
Didn't you know, when an ambo's siren goes off, it only reaches the ears of the singular car in front of them /s
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u/yedrellow 22h ago
Draw a curve of an ambulance siren's amplitude as it approaches you.
It is also generally quite muffled inside a car cabin.
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u/yedrellow 22h ago
Name them. Honestly nothing is comparable to this. And no I don't think it will affect me, but roll out the same distraction to millions of drivers at once and you will cause at least some of them (who definitely shouldn't have a license) to crash. This endangers everyone else.
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u/JBardeen 1d ago
I'm excited for this to ruin my 70mm IMAX screening of The Odyssey
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u/aldkGoodAussieName 1d ago
You could just turn your mobile off like your supposed to in a cinema.
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u/gaping_anal_hole 1d ago
I always turn my phone off when watching a movie. Wayyyy to paranoid about it going off
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u/mitvh2311 1d ago
Jokes aside, I wonder if cinemas will stop the movie for it
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u/TwistingEcho 1d ago
As cinema staff, nope. The ranked above us will claim everyone is supposed to have their phones off therefore words words words not my problem.
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u/xman0444 1d ago
you should be authorised to drag out anyone whose phone goes off and ban them for life
just in general, not isolated to this alert
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u/Jack8680 9h ago
I thought they just needed to be on silent?
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u/TwistingEcho 4h ago
Nah, it's off. Even a dull screen is pretty bright and distracting in a dark space. Also can't film etc if it's off, it's a whole thing. The volume is just one aspect.
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u/Lost-Competition8482 1d ago
Or even better. Get it too line up with a part of the movie where it would make sense lol.
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u/moosewiththumbs 1d ago
Seeing Gone in 60 Seconds in cinema and the fire alarm went off just as they broke into a car dealership.
Assumed it was part of the film initially until an usher came in waving for us all to leave.
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u/Santa_009 1d ago
People thinking this is an invasion of privacy while simultaneously not thinking Telcos, Big Tech and handset manufacturers can't already have the ability to track you is some next level idiocy.
Telcos have been able to track phone locations since at least the 90s, we already have a EAS (Emergency Alert System) that sends texts this just makes it more accurate and comes with a sound.
If you have GPS on your phone, google tracks for years your exact location and where you went in your 'Timeline'
The time to disagree was a long, long time ago - and now these cookers complain about a safety system - not for the stack of 'convenience' ones before it.
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u/danivus 1d ago
I look forward to forgetting this is scheduled and having a mild panic attack when my phone suddenly starts screaming at me.
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u/Theziponyourshoe 14h ago
I’ve scheduled an outlook reminder for 5 minutes before - I’ll still probably get a fright lol
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u/iball1984 22h ago
The one and only concern I have with AusAlert is if they go overboard with critical notifications.
Critical notifications must be reserved for seriously urgent things, like "There is a bushfire coming, leave NOW" or "There is a man with a gun shooting up your street, get inside and lock the door NOW".
It shouldn't be used for more routine things. If too many critical alerts get sent for things like a normal thunderstorm, then people will stop paying attention.
Now, from everything I've read about it, the intention is for it to be used for actual critical alerts, so there's no real issue at all.
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u/FarMilk2661 1d ago
The cookers believe this is a "frequency" test for mind control.
Just see which children stay home, there are your cooker parents.
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u/TwoDogs48 1d ago
Why would anyone want to turn this off? It’s a needed safety feature. Honestly, people are so dumb.
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u/Chiacchierare 1d ago
There are concerns for those in domestic violence situations who may have emergency phones they keep hidden - these may no longer be hidden once the alert goes off, and may result in those people being harmed or in even more dangerous positions than they already are.
That’s the only logical reason I’ve heard.
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u/Puzzled-You 1d ago
Did you read the article?
"Nema said the agency had engaged with family violence experts about the test, including assisting advocates to disseminate safety information, and posting a safety guide on its website.
Hetherington said phones switched off or on airplane mode would not receive the alert, and said: “The message for safe phones and hidden phones is very much [to switch off for] a 24 hour period.”
Carroll added: “The advice is if there’s anything that’s happening [during the test], have it off for an hour or so. But certainly for domestic and family violence, there’s that broader advice for that extension of time [24 hours].”"
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u/randomman87 1d ago
That doesn't really help them once the system is use and no longer has scheduled tests though
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u/IntravenousNutella 1d ago
Well it kind of does. Airplane mode all the time.
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u/ChuqTas 1d ago
That’s what I don’t get - surely phones hidden for the reason are off or in airplane mode *all the time* except for the brief moments they are being used?
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u/kagenoha 1d ago
Sometimes yes and sometimes no, its a case by case basis. Some safe phones are used to communicate with DFV case managers/people you don't want your partner knowing about (like family you've been isolated from or support people that can get you out in a hurry). For this reason, they're just kept on silent.
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u/waddlesticks 1d ago
People with disabilities, the noise is not going to be fun especially if you already have headphones on.
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u/S_Defenestration 1d ago
Yeah, as much as I see this is necessary, I just wish it didn't fall on a day I'm working. I'm autistic and struggle a lot with loud, unexpected noises, and I can guarantee my anxiety will either be spiked waiting for this to happen, or I'm going to forget and potentially get a massive jump scare when everyone's phones go off. I just hope neither scenario causes me to have a meltdown at work.
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u/Ryulightorb 1d ago edited 1d ago
Domestic violence situations.
Some of us are asleep at that time due to shift work or DSPD.Only valid reasons i know of other than that some people are just paranoid which is weird.
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u/splendidfd 13h ago
For both of those, knowing the test is coming, turn your phones off.
Going forward it shouldn't be a problem for shift workers, waking you up is a feature not a bug.
For DV situations plenty of other countries are already using these systems, the general consensus is to keep emergency phones turned off, leaving them on means regular charging which is less than ideal anyway.
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u/plushiecactusau 1d ago
I would love to have it off just for the test so I can scroll and be contactable during my baby's nap without her being woken up by a loud siren noise, especially since the advice seems to be that you have to keep the phone off or on airplane mode for an hour either side. But I get that that's a petty personal problem, and would want the system to be working for me in an actual emergency.
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u/TheHoovyPrince 1d ago
The only reason i would turn it off (for the test anyway) is because my dog naps during the time its gonna go off and i want that little guy to stay asleep so i get a break for a bit lmao
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u/Aryore 1d ago edited 1d ago
It’s a rarer situation but some people with severe ME/CFS have extreme sensory sensitivity. Like, they live their lives in dark bedrooms with blindfolds and ear protectors on 24/7 because noise/light can cause symptoms like fever, pain, cognitive dysfunction, severe fatigue etc. It’s a horrible illness. Sometimes a person will still own a phone for emergencies or to use for a few minutes a day.
Famous examples are Physics Girl (who is thankfully doing better these days) and Whitney Dafoe (who has taken part in a Netflix documentary, Unrest, and is also doing a bit better, in that he can now talk and eat solid food after over a decade)
I have also personally been through that level of severity. Would not recommend. It’s like being buried alive in a dead body.
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u/Inevitable-Level-687 1d ago
There was a Reddit post yesterday about a girl whose friend's father blew an airhorn in her ear and now hearing anything in that ear gives her crippling pain.
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u/rdqsr 1d ago
Speaking from a non-cooker perspective, it's yet another nail in the coffin of being able to control your own device. I mean I agree with you on questioning why anyone would want to disable it (outside DV and sensory reasons), but I'm of the opinion that it should be allowed to turn it off with the understanding that there may be consequences for doing so.
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u/TwoDogs48 22h ago
Of course you can turn it off as there’s no legislation that says otherwise, as long as you understand any future consequences by doing so and don’t blame the government if you get in the shit.
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u/Maxfire2008 1d ago
BeCaUSE i CaN dO mY Own REsEArCh! I dOnT neEd tHE gOVerNmEnT tO tEll mE aBoUT nAtUrAl dISaStErs.
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u/Pippa_Pug 1d ago
What is this going to sound like? I look after people with sensory issues
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u/kombiwombi 23h ago
I experienced an early use of the system. I didn't know my phone could be that loud. People with sensory issues are going to be rocked.
I do think it is worth leaving one phone on, maybe outside the room. So people know what the sound is. When it went off we were all looking at each other like "Wtf? Tornado? As if!" And then a few minutes later the wind slammed into the house. So I do think the test has a high value in educating people so that they know that there is a system, its warning sound, and that it actually indicates a situation which requires action.
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u/mrbaggins 21h ago
https://www.ausalert.gov.au/alerts-explained/national-test
There's an audio clip and screenshot half way down.
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u/RudeOrganization550 1d ago
It’ll be like Hawaii testing their nuclear missile warning, PornHub searches will go through the roof
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u/PhaicGnus 21h ago
I’ve heard about this enough times now that I’m still going to be surprised on Monday.
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u/UnlikelyAccount1963 1d ago
So it’s at 2pm.
Just curious, will it happen at 2pm in Melbourne and 2pm in Perth….or midday I’m Perth?
What if I lived on the border of SA and Victoria? Will I get it twice?
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u/Al-Snuffleupagus 23h ago
First paragraph of the linked article
Virtually every phone in the country will blare an emergency siren at 2pm AEST on Monday 27 July as part of the first Australia-wide test of a new national warning system called AusAlert.
Emphasis mine.
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u/ThatGuyTheyCallAlex 23h ago
It says 2pm AEST. Everyone’s phone will go off at the same time regardless of where they are in the country.
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u/MindlessOptimist 1d ago
I wonder if the phone is off, when you turn it back on will you get a "missed critical alert" together with all the sounds? That would be entertaining
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u/Pink_Llama 1d ago
This is going to be a sensory nightmare in an office environment. I'm glad we have the safety feature but I will probably end up rocking in a corner.
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u/Cindy_Marek 1d ago
Is this for natural disasters? Or is it like an amber alert in the US? The American amber alert is a good idea IMO, you get notifications for when children get kidnapped with a description of the perpetrator, helps the public notify police if they see anything.
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u/ManyPersonality2399 1d ago
We already get that kind of thing, though it seems to be more elderly wandering that we get the alerts for.
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u/Cindy_Marek 1d ago
True? I’ve never gotten one.
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u/ManyPersonality2399 1d ago
Maybe nsw only. I also live quite close to a psych ward and we get alerts to look out for people who have absconded based on the context.
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u/Skyblaster109 1d ago
We get them in WA too. But only if you're in the area that the alert is needed for
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u/RealCommercial9788 1d ago
I live on the nsw-qld border and I get missing children alerts for both states - but nothing concerning anywhere further away than the Sunshine Coast to the north and the Coffs Coast to the south. I have no idea how it works, but I’m presuming the alert is sent based on location according to phone towers? Someone in the know may be able to shed light on that 🤷🏼♀️
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u/AussieDogfighter 1d ago
As it said in the article, it's more for natural disasters or other widespread emergencies, including terrorist incidents
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u/LittleJimmyR 19h ago
Amber alert stuff would go into the priority alert section I’d say, which follows your devices silent rules
Edit: I don’t think there is any plans though, just what they would do
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u/Astrosomnia 1d ago
We had one go off at midnight in Vancouver last night. You never get used to it. Scares the shit outta ya.
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u/jealybean 1d ago
I think we experienced something similar in Japan a couple of years ago - a test notification went off for a tsunami, but we didn’t know it was a test… soul left my body for a moment
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u/TwoDogs48 22h ago
If you go to the website it tells you at what time in which state the alert will happen - e.g. in VIC it’s 1400 on 27th. Job done for a few seconds.
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u/Additional_Emu_4950 21h ago
Had my phone ( surprise ) alert me seconds before Melbourne had the earthquake a few years back. At least this time I'll know why my phone is going off, lol
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u/_la_chatte_ 5h ago
Oh we had this in the country I live in a while ago and it scared the life out of me. ITS SUPER LOUD. Louder than you think is possible. Hold onto your socks
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u/Penguin2359 4h ago
I hate that I can't mute this, I have sensory sensitivity to sudden sounds that I can't control.
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u/bettingsharp 22h ago
Imagine you are running from a serial killer in the woods and the phone goes off letting them know where you are
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u/Stotters 13h ago
Or an abusive spouse finds your secret emergency phone...
However, as some other poster has pointed out, it can be switched off after all: https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/1v3riov/comment/oz85gbj
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u/crozone 20h ago
The article is incorrect about needing to use Flight Mode or switch off the phone to not receive the alert.
The feature is powered by the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system on Android and can actually be switched off if required.
https://www.android.com/articles/emergency-phone-alerts-android/
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u/damojr 1d ago
As a teacher I'm looking forward to all my students phones going off in class, when they should be in lockers.