Breaking: National emergency warning system in doubt as states raise concerns

AusAlert emergency rollout buy-in from states and territories in doubtPosted Wed 22 Jul 2026 at 8:05amWed 22 Jul 2026 at 8:05am, updated Wed 22 Jul 2026 at 8:13amWed 22 Jul 2026 at 8:13amThe warning system sends alerts directly to mobile phones in areas affected by an emergency. (ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Eliza Bidstrup)State and territory representatives are expected to voice significant concerns about the rollout of the national emergency warning system AusAlert when they meet with the federal emergency minister in Melbourne this morning.The alert system would send alerts directly to the mobile phones of people in areas affected by an emergency.The system is due to be tested by sending a loud alert tone to all mobile phones across the nation next Monday before it launches in October.However, that is up in the air, after most state and territory governments said they would not phase out their state-based systems. Federal Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain is expected to make an announcement about the rollout at 9am.Western Australia and Queensland are understood to have raised concerns about whether the system will be able to contact landlines, which are still favoured in more remote areas.And there are only plans to send messages in English, which may limit their effectiveness in certain parts of the country.The alerts will appear as "system alerts" rather than text messages, which the federal government says will be faster, more reliable and precise because they use a dedicated channel directly from mobile towers in areas affected.There are also questions about whether all older devices will be able to receive the messages.All states and territories approached by the ABC, except the Australian Capital Territory, refused to say whether they would adopt the system at that time, or before the coming high-risk season.The ACT confirmed it would transition to AusAlert on October 1, but that it would run alongside the existing emergency alert system.