AusAlert National Test – Monday 27 July

Dear Residents,

The Australian Government will test its new emergency warning system, AusAlert, on Monday 27 July at 2:00 pm (AEST).
AusAlert officially launches in October and will send messages and warnings during local and national emergencies.
As part of the test, people with compatible mobile devices will receive a test alert on their phone.

The alert will be different from a normal SMS text message.When the alert is sent, phones may:

• vibrate
• play a loud, siren-like sound
• display an on-screen message.

This may happen even if the phone is set to ‘silent’ or ‘do not disturb’.

Some people may find the alert upsetting or confusing, including those:

• living with cognitive impairment, dementia or sensory sensitivity
• at risk of domestic violence.

As such, we encourage you to prepare and support your workers and the older people in your care before the test.
If receiving the test alert could cause distress or make someone feel unsafe, you can opt to stop receiving some alerts or follow these steps:

• one hour before the test: turn off the mobile device or put it in aeroplane mode
• during and after the test: keep the device off or in aeroplane mode for 24 hours.

More instructions are available on the AusAlert website, along with a range of other resources to help everyone prepare for the test and understand what will happen.

Kind Regards,
Liz Heffren-Webb Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner