At a glance…
- At 2 pm on Monday, 27 July, 2026, the new national emergency warning system, AusAlert, will conduct a nationwide test.
- During this test, applicable smartphones, smartwatches and tablets will receive an emergency alert – even if your device is on “Do Not Disturb” or silent mode.
- AusAlert will be used in the future for emergency situations such as bushfires and other national disasters.
- Domestic Violence services have flagged that this alert could put victims and survivors at risk.
Content warning: This article discusses domestic, family and sexual violence and coercive control, which may be triggering to readers. Help is available.
You have probably seen the news reports and the advertisements on television and radio: AusAlert is coming on Monday 27 July 2026.
You could be asking yourself, “Why all the notice?”, “Why all the reminders?” Well, as someone who startles easily, I’m grateful for the heads-up.
If you somehow missed the reminders, a test “Critical Alert” will be sent to all compatible devices for ten seconds. These compatible devices would include your smartphone, smartwatch or tablet. As this is the first time they are testing this system, some devices may react differently or not at all. If your device does sound an alarm, do not be alarmed. If you want to hear what it will sound like, you can head to the AusAlert website.
A message will also display with the alert, again reiterating that this is a test.
The intention for AusAlert is for Australians and those within the country to receive alerts in the case of emergency situations. There are two types: Critical and Priority. The test will be for a Critical Alert, which is for the most serious emergencies. Because of that, they cannot be turned off, and your device will alert even if your phone is on silent mode. Whereas the Priority Alerts are for events where there is increased risk and conditions are changing. These alerts can be turned off.
Despite the good intentions behind this alert, numerous domestic violence services and survivor advocates have pointed out that it could increase the risk for those in unsafe situations.
“My biggest concern is the hidden phone,” family violence expert Naomi Pearce tells me. “Many victim-survivors keep a secret second phone, what we call a lifeline phone. It’s how they contact support services, keep evidence and plan their escape.”
Because the critical alert bypasses silent mode, if it sounds, an abuser may find the hidden phone and punish the victim.
“In a coercive control situation, the main phone isn’t really theirs,” Naomi explains. “Perpetrators monitor phones: reading messages, checking call logs, installing tracking apps, demanding passwords. So a second phone is often the only private channel a victim has.”
In response to such behaviours, a victim will resort to policing their own behaviour.
“That’s the essence of coercive control: the perpetrator no longer needs to be in the room,” she adds.
It is this second phone, Naomi tells me, that is not a “spare phone” but it’s the “difference between leaving safely and not leaving at all.”
Furthermore, a person in an unsafe situation is often in a state of hypervigilance, and a loud, unexpected sound can be triggering.
“For most of us, the test will be a ten-second annoyance,” Naomi says. “For someone with trauma, that siren can trigger a full fight-or-flight response, because their nervous system doesn’t ask ‘is this a test?’, it asks ‘am I safe?”
So what can we do?
“The only certain way to stop that alarm is to turn the phone off completely,” Naomi advises. AusAlert also says to turn off your device or put it in aeroplane mode at least one hour before the test and to keep your device off and in aeroplane mode for an additional 24 hours.
If you are concerned about your safety or the safety of friends or loved ones, Naomi advises three things:
- First, only powering the phone off completely will reliably stop the alarm. Silent mode won’t. Do Not Disturb won’t. Turn it off well before 2 pm AEST on Monday 27 July and leave it off for the rest of the day.
- Second, if you can, move the phone out of the home altogether, to a trusted friend or your workplace.
- Third, ring 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 from a safe phone for advice on your situation.
“Victims in crisis are not reading government websites,” she says. “If someone crosses your mind, contact them safely today. You may be the only warning they get.”
“AusAlert will save lives in fires and floods, and I want it to succeed,” she adds. “But its greatest strength, a sound that cannot be silenced, becomes a danger for anyone whose safety depends on a hidden phone. So be the warning system. The government can reach every phone in Australia, but it cannot quietly tap the shoulder of the woman who needs to turn hers off. Only the people around her can do that.”
If someone is in immediate danger, call 000. If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, help is always available. Call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit their website.
