What are the Emergency Call Services numbers in Australia?
- Triple Zero (000) is Australia's primary Emergency Call Service number and should be used to request emergency assistance from all telephones (landline, mobile phones and payphones) in the first instance. For information about calling Triple Zero (000) from a voice over internet protocol service see below.
- 112 is the international standard emergency number which can only be dialled on a digital mobile phone.
- 106 is the text-based Emergency Call Service number for people who are deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment. This service operates using a teletypewriter (TTY) but does not accept voice calls or SMS messages.
Both 112 and 106 are secondary emergency service numbers because they are for use only in connection with particular technologies.
What is the Emergency Call Service number Triple Zero (000) and when should I call it?
The Emergency Call Service (Triple Zero) is an operator-assisted service that connects you to the relevant emergency service organisation (police, fire or ambulance).
You should call the Emergency Call Service in a life or property threatening time-critical situation. If a situation is not time critical but requires the attention of an emergency services organisation, you should obtain the number of your local Emergency Service Organisation from the phone book or by calling directory assistance.
Will I be charged for the call?
No. Calls to the emergency call service are free from any kind of phone.
What happens when I dial Triple Zero (000)?
The operator will ask you whether you need the police, fire or ambulance services. Depending on whether you use a mobile, fixed line, voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service or a payphone to call the Emergency Call Service, you may also be asked to provide details of the state and town you are calling from. The operator will then connect you to the emergency service organisation you have requested.
The Emergency Call Person currently answers 90% of calls within five seconds and 99% of calls within 10 seconds. In unplanned events such as a major bushfire, there may be a short delay in answer due to an unexpected influx of calls.
When you dial the Emergency Call Services, the most important thing to remember is to stay focused, stay relevant and stay on the line.
How will the emergency call operator know where I am when I call?
If you are calling from a fixed network line i.e. a land line, your location details will automatically appear on the operator’s screen and will be passed on to the emergency service organisation you request. However, you may still be asked to confirm your location information to the operator (or the emergency service organisation).
If you call from a mobile phone or VoIP service your exact location is not available, so you will need to provide the state and town you are calling from. More information about about calling the Emergency Call Service (Triple Zero) from a mobile is available.
What can I do if I need to contact the Emergency Call Services but have a speech or hearing impairment?
People who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment can call the text-based 106 Text Emergency Relay Service by dialling 106. The 106 service is provided by Australian Communication Exchange, which operates the National Relay Service. The 106 service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
When you call 106, the operator will connect you with the appropriate emergency service organisation and relay your call between text and voice. To call this service, you must have a text phone (sometimes called a TTY) or a computer and modem with specialist communications software, such as HyperTerminal. You cannot use SMS to contact the 106 Text Emergency Relay Service.
What if I am unable to speak to the operator?
The Caller No Response (CNR) initiative is designed to ensure a faster response for genuine callers to the Emergency Call Service (Triple Zero). Where the caller does not respond to the operator's question: "Emergency. Police? Fire? Ambulance?" the call is directed to an interactive voice response (IVR) unit. The caller will be asked this question three times. All callers directed to the IVR unit are asked to press 55 if they cannot speak and require emergency assistance.
Pressing 55 quickly ensures that the call is, by default, connected to the police by the Emergency Call Service operator. If a caller does not press 55 after three requests from the operator, the call is discontinued. As a safety mechanism, the police will attempt to ring back all such callers who press 55 but hang up. If appropriate, the police may also dispatch an officer to the caller's address. The CNR process limits the number of non-genuine calls that would otherwise be forwarded to the police and divert police resources from responding to genuine emergencies.
Can I call the Emergency Call Service from a cordless home or work telephone?
You can call the Emergency Call Service from a cordless home or work telephone however it is important to remember that cordless telephones are dependent on a power source, therefore if there is a power blackout you will not be able to call the Emergency Call Service.
Regular, non-portable fixed line telephones that can be plugged directly into a phone socket normally receive their power direct from the phone network in the event of a blackout. This allows for ongoing availability of telephone services, including calls to the Emergency Call Service. You may wish to consider having a spare non-portable telephone in your house or work in the event of an emergency in a power blackout.
What about calling from a mobile phone service?
More information regarding calls to the Emergency Call Service from mobile phones is available.
Can I call the Emergency Call Service from a voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service?
The Australian Government’s current policy on voice over internet protocol (VoIP) is that if you can call a fixed or mobile phone from a VoIP service, the VoIP service must be able to call the Emergency Call Services. This policy is still in the process of being implemented and not all VoIP service providers are able to guarantee that their service can access the Emergency Call Services. Find out more information about calling the Emergency Call Service using VoIP.
Can I call 911 in a life or property threatening time critical situation?
911 is used by emergency services in the United States of America and cannot be used to call the Emergency Call Service in Australia.
Telephone numbers beginning with the 911 prefix (for example, 02 911x xxxx) have already been allocated by ACMA and are being used by individuals and businesses. This means that if 911 is dialled, the system only recognises these digits as the first part of an existing number. Any diversion to the Emergency Call Service after 911 has been dialled is therefore not possible.
The Telecommunications Numbering Plan 1997 (the Numbering Plan), which ACMA uses to regulate the way telephone numbers are allocated in Australia, specifically nominates Triple Zero (000) as the Emergency Call Service number. The Numbering Plan also nominates the secondary emergency numbers 112 (for GSM mobile telephones) and 106 (for text-based emergency relay calls). It prohibits the use of any other emergency number.
In some cases a number of emergency call codes employed in other countries will work from some 3G/GSM mobile handsets operating in Australia. This is because some 3G/GSM mobile handset manufacturers include emergency codes such as 999 or 911 in the firmware of the handset.
When one of these international emergency call service numbers is dialled from these especially configured handsets, the handset recognises the dialled number and sends the emergency call signal (or flag) to the mobile network and the serving carrier will deliver the call to the emergency service answer point via a priority route developed for emergency calls.
While there have been instances where people in Australia have dialled 911 in an emergency in Australia, research by ACMA found that 95 per cent of people were able to nominate Triple Zero (000) as the number to dial in an emergency.
ACMA and emergency service organisations will continue to promote Triple Zero (000) as the number to call in a life or property threatening time critical emergency situation in Australia.
What does ACMA have to do with emergency services?
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) regulates and monitors the provision of the Emergency Call Services. By law, ACMA makes sure that the Emergency Call Persons, carriers and carriage service providers are meeting their responsibilities and obligations. Find out more about ACMA’s role in relation to the Emergency Call Service.
Please note: this document is intended as a guide only and should not be relied on as legal advice or regarded as a substitute for legal advice in individual cases.
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