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AU · civil preparedness

Emergency preparedness in Australia: official advice at a glance

Australia's official advice: a 3-day kit, at least 3 L of water per person per day, Emergency Alert and AusAlert, 000, no fallout shelters.

Updated 2026-10-20· 14 official sources

Australia at a glance

updated 2026-10-21
SuppliesAustralian guidance is built around natural hazards.sourcedPublic sheltersAustralia has no network of public blast or fallout shelters.sourcedAlertsAustralia is moving from Emergency Alert (SMS and voice calls from +61 444 444 444) to AusAlert, a cell-broadcast system that needs no registration or app.sourcedIodineARPANSA's advisory note to RPS G-3 (April 2026) says that in a radiological or nuclear emergency in Australia, state or territory authorities decide whether to distribute potassium iodide, and that people should take it only when public authorities advise.sourcedPrivate shelterThere is no law on private fallout or blast shelters.sourcedShelter standardsTwo official technical standards exist, both hazard-specific: the ABCB Performance Standard for Private Bushfire Shelters (2014) and, for Queensland public cyclone shelters, the 2006 design guidelines plus Queensland Development Code MP 3.8 for shelters built from 9 May 2023.sourcedEmergency numbersCall Triple Zero (000) in a life-threatening emergency, TTY 106 for text-telephone users, and the State Emergency Service on 132 500 for help during floods, storms or tsunamis.sourced
Crisis bookletNo national household booklet is mailed out.sourced
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Short answer. Australia has no civil-defence shelter programme and no national household booklet: official preparedness advice is built around natural hazards 13. The national Get Ready kit list asks for at least 3 litres of water per person per day 3, and Queensland plans for three days at home 4. Warnings reach phones through Emergency Alert and AusAlert 57. In a life-threatening emergency, call Triple Zero (000) 17.

Information verified on 20 October 2026.

Who is responsible for emergency preparedness in Australia?

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) leads at national level, and each state and territory runs its own emergency services 17. The state and territory agencies listed by Get Ready are ACT ESA, Get Ready NSW, Get Ready Queensland, SAFECOM (South Australia), TasAlert, VicEmergency and DFES (Western Australia) 1.

No national household booklet is mailed out. The main public resource is "Get ready for natural hazards" at getready.gov.au, produced by the Queensland Reconstruction Authority (Get Ready Queensland) with joint Commonwealth-state funding for culturally and linguistically diverse communities 12. It offers a printable kit-list magnet (PDF dated February 2026), a poster and a resources guide in 11 languages, and points to the Australian Red Cross RediPlan for a household plan 1313.

What does each Australia page cover?

Topic What Australia says Page
Supplies Three days at home (Queensland), more if rural, remote or at risk of isolation; at least 3 L of water per person per day 34 Emergency supplies
Kit The official Get Ready and Queensland lists, item by item 34 Kit checklist
Alerts Emergency Alert (SMS and voice from +61 444 444 444) and the AusAlert cell-broadcast system; three warning levels 567 Emergency alerts
Iodine Being re-checked: take potassium iodide only when public authorities advise; ARPANSA's note reportedly leaves distribution to state or territory authorities 8 Potassium iodide
Public shelters No blast or fallout shelters; last-resort cyclone shelters (Queensland) and bushfire Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSW) 91214 Public shelters
Standards ABCB bushfire shelter standard (2014); Queensland cyclone shelter guidelines and MP 3.8 1112 Shelter standards
Contacts 000, TTY 106, SES 132 500 17 Emergency contacts

What should an Australian household do first?

  1. Put together supplies for at least three days at home, with more if you live in a rural or remote area 4.
  2. Do not block +61 444 444 444, the Emergency Alert sender 57.
  3. Learn the three warning levels: Advice, Watch and Act, Emergency Warning 5.
  4. Write down 000 and the SES number, 132 500 1.
  5. Make a household plan, for example with the Red Cross RediPlan 13.

Our general guides go further: family emergency plan, 72-hour kit, water per person, wildfire smoke and emergency radio.

Frequently asked questions

Which agency is in charge of emergencies in Australia?

NEMA leads at national level, while each state and territory runs its own emergency services and warnings 17.

Does Australia have nuclear or fallout shelters for the public?

No. Official sources describe no network of public blast or fallout shelters. Only hazard-specific last-resort places exist, such as Queensland's public cyclone shelters 912.

How will I be warned in Australia?

Through Emergency Alert messages to phones and landlines, and through AusAlert, a cell-broadcast system that needs no registration or app 567.

Is there an official emergency kit list?

Yes. The national Get Ready magnet and the Queensland "Pack a kit" checklist list water, food, a radio, a torch, a first aid kit and documents, among other items 34.

Sources

  1. Get Ready (Queensland Reconstruction Authority), getready.gov.au — Get ready for natural hazards (English) — https://www.getready.gov.au/languages/english (accessed 2026-10-20)
  2. Queensland Reconstruction Authority — Funding to help CALD communities Get Ready for disasters — https://www.qra.qld.gov.au/news-case-studies/news/funding-help-cald-communities-get-ready-disasters (accessed 2026-10-20)
  3. Get Ready (Queensland Reconstruction Authority), getready.gov.au — Get ready for natural hazards – What to pack in your emergency kit (magnet) — https://www.getready.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-05/QETH03549_QRA_CALD%20Get%20Ready_Magnet_Web_FA.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
  4. Get Ready Queensland (Queensland Government) — Pack a kit — https://www.getready.qld.gov.au/prepare/kit (accessed 2026-10-20)
  5. ACT Emergency Services Agency — Warnings & Alerts — https://www.esa.act.gov.au/aws (accessed 2026-10-20)
  6. AusAlert (notice republished by the Wireless Institute of Australia) — National AusAlert Test Set for Monday 27 July — https://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2026/20260721-1/index.php (accessed 2026-10-20)
  7. Emergency Alert (Australian state and territory governments) — Emergency Alert — https://www.emergencyalert.gov.au/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  8. ARPANSA — Advisory note to RPS G-3 – Use of potassium iodide during a radiological or nuclear emergency — https://www.arpansa.gov.au/sites/default/files/documents/2026-04/Advisory%20note%20to%20RPS%20G-3%20-%20Use%20of%20potassium%20iodide%20during%20a%20radiological%20or%20nuclear%20emergency.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
  9. Queensland Government — Cyclones and severe storms — https://www.qld.gov.au/emergency/dealing-disasters/disaster-types/cyclone-severe-storm (accessed 2026-10-20)
  10. Country Fire Authority (Victoria) — Sheltering in a fire bunker — https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/fire-safety/your-fire-plan/last-resort-options/sheltering-in-a-fire-bunker (accessed 2026-10-20)
  11. Australian Building Codes Board — Performance Standard for Private Bushfire Shelters — https://www.abcb.gov.au/sites/default/files/resources/2022/Performance-standard-private-bushfire-shelters.pdf (accessed 2026-10-20)
  12. Business Queensland (Queensland Government) — Cyclone shelter design and maintenance — https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/building-property-development/building-construction/natural-disasters/cyclone-shelters (accessed 2026-10-20)
  13. Australian Red Cross — Prepare – RediPlan — https://www.redcross.org.au/prepare/ (accessed 2026-10-20)
  14. NSW Rural Fire Service — Neighbourhood Safer Places — https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/neighbourhood-safer-places (accessed 2026-10-20)

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Sources

  1. Get Ready (Queensland Reconstruction Authority), getready.gov.au · Get ready for natural hazards (English) checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  2. Queensland Reconstruction Authority · Funding to help CALD communities Get Ready for disasters checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  3. Get Ready (Queensland Reconstruction Authority), getready.gov.au · Get ready for natural hazards – What to pack in your emergency kit (magnet) checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  4. Get Ready Queensland (Queensland Government) · Pack a kit checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  5. ACT Emergency Services Agency · Warnings & Alerts checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  6. AusAlert (notice republished by the Wireless Institute of Australia) · National AusAlert Test Set for Monday 27 July checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  7. Emergency Alert (Australian state and territory governments) · Emergency Alert checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  8. ARPANSA · Advisory note to RPS G-3 – Use of potassium iodide during a radiological or nuclear emergency checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  9. Queensland Government · Cyclones and severe storms checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  10. Country Fire Authority (Victoria) · Sheltering in a fire bunker checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  11. Australian Building Codes Board · Performance Standard for Private Bushfire Shelters checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  12. Business Queensland (Queensland Government) · Cyclone shelter design and maintenance checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  13. Australian Red Cross · Prepare – RediPlan checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)
  14. NSW Rural Fire Service · Neighbourhood Safer Places checked Mon Oct 19 2026 20:00:00 GMT-0400 (heure avancée de l’Est)

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