Australia Emergency

Emergency in Australia

If you find yourself in any emergency situation in Australia, you will need to dial 000. This number can be dialled free of charge from any phone in Australia, including public phone booths and mobile phones.

Note that you should dial 000 only in the case of an emergency. The authorities also encourage you to dial this number if you are witnessing a crime in progress. However, this number should not be dialled in the case of non-criminal or non-life threatening situations. The number is attended by an operator who will direct you to the appropriate service: police, fire or ambulance. It is very important that you remain calm and confident about the service you require and clearly communicate this to the operator. You may be asked questions which you will need to answer as best as you can. You may also be asked to provide information about your location using any landmarks that are nearby.

If you require police assistance and it is not an emergency (such as for reporting a theft), you will be required to go to the nearest police station or call their help line in the state you are in. If you are in any state or Territory other than Victoria or Queensland, you can call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444. The charges for this call are comparable to local call charges. If you are in Victoria or Queensland, you will need to contact your local police station. Their number can be found in the local telephone directory. Most administration offices in university hostels or student accommodation buildings keep a record of the local police station numbers.    

State Emergency Service (SES) is an organisation that assists police, fire and ambulance services in the event of severe floods, storms and other natural calamities. They also get involved in emergency evacuations, search and rescue missions and mass casualties. SES operates in every state and territory in Australia. If you find yourself in a situation usually handled by SES, for example, if your home has been damaged in a storm or if you need assistance with evacuation in a bushfire region, you can call them on 132 500, no matter where you are in Australia.