New national warning system now in operation

Published on 03 November 2022

The Australian Warning System has been introduced allowing all emergency services to deliver consistent warning information across the country.

Most recently, these warnings have been used for bushfires. They will now be used for other hazards like flood, storm, cyclone, extreme heat and severe weather.

The three levels are

• Advice (yellow) which means an incident has started however, there is no immediate danger. At the ‘Advice’ level residents are asked to stay up to date in case the situation changes.
• Watch and Act (orange) will indicate a heightened level of threat, conditions are changing and you need to start taking action to protect you and your family.
• Emergency Warning (red) is the highest level of warning. You may be in danger and need to take action immediately. Delaying action puts your life at risk. 

The new 3 level warning system is depicted by triangles in the colours of yellow, orange and red. 

These icons will be used for warnings on state and territory agency websites and social media pages.

Fire Danger Ratings

The Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) has been redesigned to communicate 4 levels of preparation or action. The levels are

• Moderate to plan and prepare
• High to be ready to act
• Extreme to take action now to protect life and property
• Catastrophic for your survival leave bushfire risk areas

The new warning systems are being rolled out across the country over the coming months.