In the aftermath of last summer’s devastating bushfires, a Disaster Royal Commission looked at Australia's planning for, and response to, all extreme weather events. Among its recommendations, the commission called for state and territory governments to roll out an "all-hazard Australian warning system".
As a result, a new Australian Warning System was developed by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) and has been in operation since the beginning of December. Research by AFAC found widespread community support for a simple three-level warning system.
The colour-coded warnings consist of three triangle icons: yellow for ‘Advice’, orange for ‘Watch and Act’ and red for ‘Emergency Warning’.
The first level is ‘Advice’ which means the fire has started but there is no immediate danger.
The second level is ‘Watch and Act’ which means conditions are changing and people should take action to protect yourself.
The third level is ‘Emergency warning’ which means people are in danger and delaying action puts lives at risk.
From now on, you will see these new icons on websites and apps.
If you see one near you, don’t wait.
There will be information about what to do to protect yourself.
For example, you might see the orange triangle complimented with a call to action ‘Watch and Act: Prepare to Leave’.
In addition to bushfires, over time, the colour-coded new warning system will be used in all emergencies.
However, Western Australia and the Northern Territory have decided to adopt the new warning system at a later stage and the other hazards — floods, cyclones and heatwaves — will slowly be phased in over the coming months.
Fiona Dunstan sits on the National Public Information and Warnings Group which is part of the Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission. She says different alert levels to clearly indicate the severity of threat are at the heart of the Australian Warning System.
We developed a warning system where we have 3 levels of warnings. We have Advice, Watch and Act and Emergency Warning and we have a consistent approach for that across the country.
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