Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™ LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE

Emergency alerts to be sent to mobiles

The federal government will improve the national emergency warning system so it can alert people to disaster threats based on the location of their mobile phone.

mobile_phone_0701_B_aap_1785454014

Retro mobiles are all the rage (AAP).

The Emergency Alert system already sends warnings by recorded voice and text message to landlines and mobile phones based on an owner's billing address.

In response to last year's interim report of the Victorian Bushfire Royal Commission, Labor agreed a national warning system that delivered alerts according to where a person's mobile phone was actually located was also needed.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Attorney-General Robert McClelland on Tuesday announced Labor would fund the upgrade of the warning system to include this extra capability.

The Victorian government will now lead negotiations with each of the mobile phone carriers to put the service in place.

A spokesman for Mr McClelland could not say how much the upgrade would cost at this stage, given the negotiations.


1 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Watch now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world