Overview
Australia’s primary emergency call service number is Triple Zero (000), which can be dialled from any fixed or mobile phone, pay phones and certain Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services. There are also two secondary emergency call service numbers: 112, which is available from all GSM or GSM derived mobile phones, and 106, which connects to the text-based relay service for people who have a hearing or speech impairment. All calls to the emergency numbers, whether from fixed, mobile, pay phones or VoIP services are free-of-charge.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has produced a web page of Frequently Asked Questions on the Emergency Call Service.
For more information on how to use 106 Text Emergency Relay Service, Triple Zero (000) by Internet relay and Triple Zero (000) by speak and read, go to the National Relay Service website.
106 Text Emergency Relay Service
If have a hearing or speech impairment and your life or property is in danger, you can contact police, fire or ambulance on 106 directly through a TTY (also known as a teletypewriter or textphone). It is not possible to contact emergency services using the Short Message Service (SMS) on your mobile telephone.
The Australian 106 Text Emergency Relay Service is provided as part of the National Relay Service (NRS). The service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and 106 calls are given priority over other NRS calls.
Using the 106 Text Emergency Relay Service
- Simply dial 106, which is a toll-free number
- You will be asked if you want police (type PPP), fire (FFF) or ambulance (type AAA). Note Speak and read (or voice carry over) users just need to say 'police', 'fire' or 'ambulance' to the relay officer
- The relay officer will dial the correct service and stay on the line to relay your conversation
- As a TTY is connected to a fixed line, the emergency service can locate where you are calling from
- You will be asked to confirm your address
- The 106 service can only be dialled from a TTY, it cannot be used by:
- an ordinary phone
- text message (SMS) on a mobile phone, or
- Internet relay
If you have further questions you can contact the NRS Help Desk (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm AEST).
When calling from a mobile telephone
Triple Zero (000) is Australia's primary telephone number to call for assistance in life threatening or emergency situations.
To find out more about calling Triple Zero (000) from a mobile telephone, please visit the ACMA website.
International standard emergency number 112
Triple Zero (000) is Australia's primary telephone number to call for assistance in life threatening or emergency situations. Dialling 112 directs you to the same Triple Zero (000) call service and does not give your call priority.
112 is an international standard emergency number which can only be dialled on a digital mobile phone. It is accepted as a secondary international emergency number in some parts of the world, including Australia, and can be dialled in areas of GSM network coverage with the call automatically translated to that country’s emergency number. It does not require reception from an individual carrier, a simcard or pin number to make the call.
Dialling 112 from a fixed line telephone in Australia will not connect you to the emergency call service as it is only available from digital mobile phones.
Voice over Internet Protocol
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is the name for the different technologies that allow telephone calls to be made over broadband Internet connections.
Some VoIP providers may not be able to provide access to emergency calls. If it is important to you that you can make emergency calls from your VoIP service, check with your VoIP provider about access to the Emergency Call Service.
Get more general information on using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP).
Further information on the key issues to consider before changing to VoIP is available on the ACMA website.
State and Territory Emergency Service Organisations
Within Australia the protection of life and property is the responsibility of State and Territory governments. A number of Emergency Services Organisations (ESO) provide their own information on what to do in an emergency. You can find further information on the State and Territory Emergency Services Organisations page on this website.