A quick guide to emergency calling

Learn how emergency calling works on Australian mobile networks and what you can do to help your phone connect to Triple Zero (000) when you need it.

Australia’s emergency numbers
Other important contacts

000 – Australia’s main emergency number for Police, Fire or Ambulance. You can call 000 from compatible devices (including compatible mobiles), landlines, public phones and satellite phones, and some Internet of Things (IoT) devices.

112 – A widely used international emergency number. You can dial 112 from any compatible device in Australia, except landlines and satellite phones. This number will connect you to the Triple Zero emergency service.

106 – A text-based emergency relay service for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech impairment. You can only access this number with a teletypewriter or textphone. You cannot access this number from a mobile phone or landline.

Important things to know

When calling from a compatible device that has access to an available network, you can only call 000 and 112 using your phone’s dial pad or Emergency SOS calling feature (if available). You can’t reach 000 or 112 by text message or through apps like WhatsApp or Messenger.
You can make 000 and 112 calls over the mobile network using any SIM or no SIM at all.
Make sure that your service provider has the details of your current address. This information is stored in the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) and can be shared with emergency services when you call 000 or 112.
Not all devices can call 000. See our compatible devices list to check if your device is supported.

When it’s not an emergency:

132 500 – SES (State Emergency State) for help with floods, storms and tsunamis that are not life-threatening

131 444 – Police Assistance Line (for non-emergencies)

1800 333 000 – Crime Stoppers to report a crime

13 11 26 – Poisons Information Centre

1800 022 222 – Healthdirect (24-hour health advice)

For more information, visit your S tate or Territory emergency service website.

Australia’s emergency numbers

Important things to know

When calling from a compatible device that has access to an available network, you can only call 000 and 112 using your phone’s dial pad or Emergency SOS calling feature (if available). You can’t reach 000 or 112 by text message or through apps like WhatsApp or Messenger.
You can make 000 and 112 calls over the mobile network using any SIM or no SIM at all.
Make sure that your service provider has the details of your current address. This information is stored in the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) and can be shared with emergency services when you call 000 or 112.
Not all devices can call 000. See our compatible devices list to check if your device is supported.

Other important contacts

When it’s not an emergency:

132 500 – SES (State Emergency State) for help with floods, storms and tsunamis that are not life-threatening

131 444 – Police Assistance Line (for non-emergencies)

1800 333 000 – Crime Stoppers to report a crime

13 11 26 – Poisons Information Centre

1800 022 222 – Healthdirect (24-hour health advice)

For more information, visit your S tate or Territory emergency service website.

What happens when you call Triple Zero (000)?

When you call 000, your call will be passed through networks as fast as possible so you can be connected to emergency services.

1. Your call connects to a network

When you call 000 from a compatible mobile phone, your phone will first try to connect using your service provider’s network. If your service provider’s network is not available, your phone will automatically try to connect using the network from another service provider.

If your phone has trouble connecting to a network, the call may take time to go through. You will usually hear silence on the line while this happens. In this situation:

If your first call doesn’t connect within around five seconds, hang up and try again immediately.
On your next attempts, stay on the line for up to 60 seconds. This gives your phone the best chance to connect through another network.

2. The Emergency Call Person operator answers

The first thing you will hear is a recorded message that your call is being connected.

Once connected, the Emergency Call Person operator will then ask if you require Police, Fire or Ambulance. They may also ask for important details about your situation, including where you are.

If English isn’t your first language and you need emergency help, stay on the line and tell the emergency call person which language you speak. An interpreter will be organised to help you communicate in your language.

3. Your call is transferred

The operator stays on the line until your requested emergency service (Police, Fire or Ambulance) answers. This helps make sure you’re connected to the right emergency service and that important information is passed on.

4. Emergency services coordinate a response

From here, your requested emergency service in your State or Territory will assess the information you gave them and coordinate the right response.

Keep in mind, getting help to you quickly depends on each step working smoothly. A dropped signal, a slow connection or unclear details about where you are can all slow things down.

What to do if your Triple Zero (000) call doesn’t seem to be connecting

If your call doesn’t connect straight away, here are some things to know before you try again.

Give your phone time to connect

If your phone has trouble connecting to a network, the call make take time to go through. You will usually hear silence on the line while this happens.

If your first call doesn’t connect within around five seconds, hang up and try again immediately.
On your next attempts, stay on the line for up to 60 seconds to give your phone the best chance to connect through another network.

Check what your phone is telling you

If your service provider’s network is not available, your phone will automatically search for another provider’s network to support your emergency call. If another network is available, here’s what you’ll see on your screen:

iPhone will show ‘SOS only’ where your signal bars normally appear, depending on iOS version.
• Android will show ‘Emergency calls only’, ‘No service – emergency calls only’, or a small SOS icon where your signal bars normally appear.

If there is no mobile network available, your phone will show ‘No service’. This means you won’t be able to call 000 using a mobile network.

Other ways to get help while holding the line

If you are outside the coverage range of all mobile networks:

Use a landline phone or public phone, if available
Depending on your device, settings and Wi-Fi availability, services such as Wi-Fi Calling (if turned on, connected, and using a valid and active SIM) may provide another way to make a call when no mobile network is available.

How to help your phone connect in an emergency

Here are some steps you can take to help ensure your device is ready to make an emergency call when you need it.

Do not call ‘000’ to test your phone’s capability. Calling emergency services is for real emergencies only.

Make sure you’re using a Triple Zero (000) compatible device

Not all devices are able to make emergency 000 calls on Australian mobile networks. See our compatible devices list to check if your device is supported.

Using a mobile phone on our network that is not a compatible device, does not have the latest software installed, or does not have VoLTE 4G calling turned on may affect your access to critical features, especially your ability to make calls to emergency services.

We are required by law to block devices that are not configured to make emergency calls. If we need to block your device, we’ll let you know by SMS and/or email 28 to 35 days before we block it. Once your device is blocked, you won’t be able to make or receive calls, send or receive texts, or use mobile data. See our support page for more information on impacted devices.

To discuss your options, including information on alternative low-cost or no-cost mobile phones that can call emergency services, contact customer care on 1300 126 122 for support.

Keep your device ready

Update your software

It is important that you keep your device software up to date. You may not be able to call emergency services if your device software has not been updated to the latest version.

Check out our device help page for instructions on how to update your device software. When updating your device software, you may need to repeat the process multiple times to update to the latest version. If you need help updating your software, contact customer care on 1300 126 122 for support.

Enable VoLTE if your device supports it

For mobile phones, make sure VoLTE 4G calling is turned on in your device settings. Voice over LTE (VoLTE) lets you make voice calls over 4G networks.

On some Triple Zero supported devices, you need to turn on VoLTE yourself in the device settings. To turn on VoLTE on your device:

Check your network operator’s website for a list of devices that support VoLTE.
Turn on VoLTE in your phone’s settings if it’s available.

Turn on Wi‑Fi Calling where available

Wi-Fi Calling, also known as Voice over Wi-Fi (VoWiFi), lets you make and receive calls, SMS and MMS over a Wi‑Fi network when mobile coverage is limited or not available.

To use Wi-Fi Calling, you’ll need:

a compatible device;
running on the latest software latest software;
an active Lebara plan, prepaid mobile plan or tablet plan;
VoLTE turned on;
the Wi-Fi Calling feature switched on in your device settings; and
a Wi-Fi connection with internet access.

Additional Information

Emergency warnings and alerts

Emergency Alert is Australia’s national telephone warning system. State and Territory emergency services use it to send voice messages to landlines and text messages to mobile phones, in a set area about potential or actual emergencies. Find out more on the Emergency Alert site.

Important note: The SMS-based Emergency Alert system is being replaced by AusAlert which will start being to be used after 1^st October 2026.

Support for people with hearing or speech impairments

A range of accessible services are available for people who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment. For more information, visit Access Hub.

More information about Triple Zero

Your safety is very important to us. Access to 000 is a vital service, and we remain committed to providing you with reliable ways to connect during an emergency.

For more information on connecting to 000, please visit: triplezero.gov.au