What is the emergency number in Australia?
Short answer
000 — Triple Zero — for police, fire or ambulance when life or property is in immediate danger. It is free from any phone, including a locked mobile with no credit and no SIM. 112 also works from any GSM mobile, and 106 is the text emergency service for people who are deaf or have a speech impairment.
Verified · 4 cited sources
When you call 000 an operator asks which service you need — police, fire or ambulance — and connects you. Stay on the line, give the address including the state and suburb, and answer the questions asked. Operators are trained to gather information while help is already being dispatched.
It works from any phone regardless of credit, and from a mobile with no SIM card, because emergency calls are carried by any available network. On a locked phone there is an emergency call option on the lock screen.
112 is an international GSM standard number that also reaches Australian emergency services from a mobile. It has no additional capability over 000 in Australia despite persistent claims otherwise — the myth that 112 works where 000 does not is false.
106 is a text-based emergency service for people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, reached using a TTY or teletypewriter. The Emergency+ app, developed by Australia's emergency services, shows your GPS coordinates so you can read them to the operator, which matters enormously in remote areas.
For things that are not immediate emergencies: the Police Assistance Line on 131 444 for crimes already committed, the State Emergency Service on 132 500 for storm and flood damage, healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for health advice, and the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26.
- 000 — police, fire, ambulance, for immediate danger
- Works from any phone, with no credit and no SIM
- 112 works from any GSM mobile but has no extra capability
- 106 is the text emergency service via TTY
- Emergency+ app shows your GPS coordinates to read to the operator
People also ask
Sources & provenance
Facts verified
- 1.Triple Zero OfficialAustralian GovernmentUsed for: When to call, how the service works and that calls are free from any phone
- 2.Emergency calls — 112 and 106 OfficialAustralian Government — AccesshubUsed for: 112 and 106 emergency call arrangements
- 3.Emergency+ app OfficialAustralian emergency servicesUsed for: GPS coordinate display and links to non-emergency numbers
- 4.State Emergency Service OfficialNSW SESUsed for: 132 500 for storm and flood assistance
All numbers and capabilities come from the official Triple Zero, Accesshub and emergency service sources cited. The correction about 112 not having extra capability is stated by the Australian Government and is included because the contrary claim circulates widely. Non-emergency numbers differ slightly by state — 131 444 covers most jurisdictions.
Facts on this page are taken from the sources listed above — Australian government departments, regulators, statutory bodies and official statistical releases. Comparisons, judgements and "which option suits whom" conclusions are AI-assisted analysis written over those sources; they are marked in the text and listed as an AI-analysis entry in the sources, not attributed to any authority. Rates, thresholds, fees and processing times change, often at the start of a financial year; figures are current as at the review date shown and should be confirmed with the responsible agency before you rely on them for money or legal decisions.