AusAlert testing details confirmed for Geelong

FURTHER details of Geelong’s involvement in the AusAlert system testing have been confirmed, including guidance for people concerned about their personal safety.

The national alert system will be rolled out in October, following community testing around the country in June.

People with compatible devices in Highton and Belmont can expect to receive the test alert at 2pm on Thursday 18 June.

During the test, community members can expect their phones to receive a pop-up alert accompanied by a loud beeping tone lasting about 10 seconds.

No action is required from people who receive the alert.

Authorities have also released information for people concerned the alerts could compromise their safety.

Family violence advocates raised concerns earlier this year that the test could place some vulnerable people at risk, particularly those who rely on hidden mobile phones to seek help or maintain contact with support services.

When the testing was announced in March, Meli director of family safety and therapeutic services Lisa Robinson said, while the organisation supports the rollout of the system, the testing could put people at risk.

“For individuals who rely on a hidden or ‘safe’ phone to seek help or maintain safety, this may unintentionally reveal the existence of that device to a partner or perpetrator,” she said at the time. “For these community members, the alert could increase the risk of harm.”

Instructions explaining how one of the two alert categories can be disabled have since been published.

Priority alerts, which function similarly to a Watch and Act warning, can be turned off through the settings on individual devices.

Critical alerts, the highest level of warning, cannot be disabled and will be received unless a device is switched off or placed in airplane mode.

AusAlert will enable emergency services to send location-based, or geotargeted, warnings directly to compatible mobile devices during local and national emergencies.

The system has been created in response to the 2020 Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements.

Following the regional testing program in June, a national test will be conducted at 2pm on Monday 27 July, with alerts expected to be sent to most smartphones, smartwatches and tablets.

Further information on AusAlert testing and how to disable priority alerts can be found on the AusAlert website.