Triple Zero reforms in Australia: what event organisers should plan for emergency calls on site

What is changing with Triple Zero in Australia?

Triple Zero has been the subject of several reviews since a major network outage in November 2023, and again after emergency calling failures in September 2025. The changes so far are spread across new bodies, new rules and reviews that are still running:

The Senate recommendations are not law, and the government has said it will consider them. The department notes that up to 85 per cent of Triple Zero calls now come from mobile devices, which is why most of the attention is on mobile networks and handsets.

How do emergency calls work from phones at an event site?

Most people at an event will call 000 from their own mobile. The current ACMA guidance on emergency calls makes several points that matter for event planning:

• Any available network. You can call 000 even if your own mobile provider has no coverage in the area. The call is carried on any available Australian mobile network, which the rules call emergency camp-on. You still need to be within the coverage of at least one provider.
• 112 works on mobiles only. 112 is a secondary emergency number that can only be dialled from a mobile phone.
• No text to 000 yet. You cannot contact 000 or 112 by text message. The Senate inquiry recommended text access, but that has not been adopted.
• 106 and relay services. 106 is a text-based emergency number for people who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, used with a TTY or similar device. It cannot be reached by SMS. The National Relay Service can also transfer a call to Triple Zero.
• Old phones. Phones that cannot reach 000 after the 3G shutdown, including 3G-only phones and some 4G phones without voice over LTE, are blocked from the networks. Staff using very old handsets should replace them before the event.

For internet phones, ACMA says calls to 000 are supported from certain VoIP services, the operator will ask for the town and state you are calling from, and police rely on the address registered for the service. Most services connected to the NBN will not work in a power outage, so ACMA advises keeping another way to reach 000, such as a charged mobile.

Why should event WiFi not be part of the emergency plan?

A good event network carries ticket scanning, payments, CCTV and staff tools. It is still the wrong thing to rely on for emergency calls, for practical reasons:

• It depends on power. Access points, switches and internet routers stop when a generator fails or a circuit trips, unless they are on battery backup.
• It depends on the internet link. WiFi calling and messaging apps stop working the moment the event internet drops, even if the mobile network around the site is fine.
• It can be busy at exactly the wrong time. Guest WiFi slows down when a crowd uses it at once, which is also when incidents are most likely.
• It may not reach everywhere. Car parks, back-of-house paths, toilets and perimeter gates often sit outside the planned coverage.

Mobile data near a large crowd can also slow down. An emergency call is a voice call on the mobile network, but staff should not assume that messaging apps, maps or data-based tools will keep working at peak times. This is one reason event networks should keep operations separate from guest access, as described in our guide to separate networks for events.

What should an on-site emergency communications plan include?

Your venue, council permit and work health and safety duties set the formal requirements for emergency management. Within that, the communications part of the plan usually comes down to a few practical steps:

1. Make the location easy to describe. Put the street address, the nearest cross street and named gates or entry points on the site plan, signage and staff briefing notes. A caller who can say which gate to use saves time for responders.
2. Give first aid and event control two independent paths. For example, mobile phones on different networks plus two-way radios, as set out in the event's emergency plan. Neither path should depend on the event WiFi.
3. Check mobile coverage where it matters. Test calls and data at the first aid point, control room, gates and car parks, ideally during a similar event or at the same time of day, not on an empty site.
4. Plan for power loss. Keep phones and radios charged, have power banks at first aid and control, and avoid relying on cordless or internet phones during a power outage.
5. Register the site address for any internet phone. If a temporary site office uses a VoIP phone, make sure the provider has the correct site address, and tell staff that the operator will ask where they are.
6. Brief everyone. Stallholders, volunteers and contractors should know how to describe their location and who to tell after calling 000.

Where does the event network fit in an emergency?

The event network still has a role, as support for the people managing an incident rather than as the way to call for help:

• Prioritise the operations network. Control room laptops, incident logs, staff messaging and radio dispatch software should sit on their own network, with their own bandwidth, not shared with guest WiFi.
• Keep it running through short power drops. Battery backup for the core switch, internet router and key access points keeps the control room connected during a generator changeover.
• Add a second internet path. A backup internet connection on a different network means a single outage does not take control tools offline.
• Cover the places incidents happen. Temporary CCTV at gates and crowd pinch points, on a separate network, helps event control see what is happening. See temporary CCTV installation.
• Know who looks after the network. The emergency plan should name the person responsible for the network and what they do if it fails.

A site survey and coverage plan can map WiFi coverage and check mobile signal at the points that matter before the event. If you are planning a festival, market or large community event, you can send the site plan and event details and we will suggest a network layout that fits your operations and emergency planning.

What should organisers watch for next?

Several decisions are still open, and some could change how event sites plan communications over the next year:

• The Custodian's interim and final reports. The interim report is due in the last quarter of 2026 and the final report by March 2027, covering public access to Triple Zero, industry delivery, emergency services and government oversight.
• The government response to the Senate inquiry. Domestic roaming and text access to Triple Zero would change what people at a site can do if one network is down, but neither has been adopted.
• Minimum network performance standards. The review terms of reference ask whether minimum standards for mobile network performance should be considered.

Until then, the safe approach is unchanged: treat mobile phones on more than one network, radios and a clearly described site location as the core of on-site emergency communications, and treat event WiFi as support for the people managing the event. Check the ACMA emergency calls page before each event season, since the guidance is updated as rules change. This article is general information and not legal advice.

Sources

1. ACMA: Emergency calls
2. ACMA: ACMA strengthens industry triple zero rules
3. ACMA: Ensuring mobiles can reach 000 after the 3G shutdown
4. Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts: Triple Zero Custodian
5. Department of Infrastructure: Triple Zero Legislative and Regulatory Review
6. Department of Infrastructure: Emergency call service regulations
7. ABC News (21 September 2026): Senate inquiry recommendations on Triple Zero
8. iTnews (18 March 2026): Triple zero review to consider minimum mobile network performance rules

Event dates, prices and product details can change. Check the organiser or manufacturer before you plan around them. Planning figures are starting points; every network is confirmed against the actual site.