AusAlert System Tested in Goomalling Ahead of National Rollout

Pharmacist Mark Ashton was going about business as usual when a shrieking alarm sounded throughout the building.

"It took us a while to realise we had been warned [this would happen].

"I think some people would have been caught off guard."

Yesterday, people in Goomalling, 134 kilometres north-east of Perth, had a different start to their lunch breaks.

At 12pm Western Standard Time a localised alert pinged everyone in town with a mobile phone.

The system, known as AusAlert, has already been tested in other regional locations across Australia this week ahead of a national test next month.

While some Wheatbelt residents said the test was "anticlimactic", others did not receive an alert at all.

What is the alert for?

Using geolocated technology, AusAlert sends a text to compatible mobile devices, which may also vibrate and play a siren-like warning sound for about 10 seconds.

A message will appear on device screens that clearly says it is a test, but exactly how it appears depends on the device type and operating system.

So far testing has occurred in Duffy, Launceston, Geelong, Tennant Creek and Goomalling.

Once the warning system has been finalised, it will be used during emergency situations such as natural disasters, biosecurity threats or other safety risks.

Two more locations will also receive the test alert over the weekend.

The community testing has been rolled out prior to a national test on July 27, and before the software is officially implemented in October.

The Assistant Minister for Emergency Management, Josh Wilson, said the alert was important to finalise before Australia's peak emergency season.

"When you have a really dangerous situation [AusAlert will help] get information to people so they can consider their circumstances.

"It's coordinated through all of the different mobile providers, so it won't matter which kind of provider you're with … but there must be some mobile service."

Test reactions mixed

Goomalling cafe worker Jayne Grigson said there was a lot of anticipation prior to the alert, but at 12pm the test passed with little fuss.

"We had a countdown on — ready to make sure everyone knew [the alert was coming] — in case someone got nervous or scared [about] what was going on," Ms Grigson said.

"I think there was a couple in here from Perth who were a bit like, 'Oh my gosh, what's happening?'

"It was slightly anticlimactic, but it's also good to know if something does happen ... everything works, especially when we don't have a good signal a lot of the time [in Goomalling]."

But local grocery shop owner Rachael Goldson said she did not receive an alert.

"My husband got the text message and my daughter's [phone] got the vibrating, but I received nothing."

Goomalling Shire President Julie Chester said she understood the warning system was important but noted the signal could be inconsistent in the area.

"I think it's vital because we are having an increase of natural disaster events … but my only concern in regards to this alert is the mobile coverage," she said.

"[In Goomalling] we don't have the best mobile coverage. Not just in the Wheatbelt but within WA itself there are black spots.

"And when you have a natural disaster and the network goes down, I'm not sure if [AusAlert] is going to be working then."