Using other emergency numbers

Understand your options for other emergency numbers to call.

On this page:

Triple Zero (000) is Australia’s main emergency number. You should only call 000 in an emergency when you need urgent help from police, fire or ambulance services.

You can call from:

  • a landline
  • a mobile phone
  • a pay phone
  • a satellite phone
  • some Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services.

There are also 2 secondary emergency numbers:

  • 112 (this number can only be called from a mobile phone)
  • 106 (TTY service connecting people who are deaf or have a hearing and/or speech communication difficulty to the National Relay Service (NRS).

Important – you cannot contact Triple Zero (000) by SMS (Short Message Service).

112 – International standard emergency number

112 is an international standard emergency number and works only on mobile phones. It was created as a single, recognisable emergency number so that travellers would know to call 112 in an emergency regardless of which country they are in.

How it works:

  • You can call 000 or 112 to connect to emergency services from your mobile – 112 connects to the same services as 000
  • Calling 112 does not give your call priority over 000 calls
  • 112 calls do not work via satellite
  • 112 does not require a sim card or phone passcode to make the call, however mobile service must be available for the call to proceed.

Important – if there is no mobile service through any provider, you will not be able to reach Triple Zero (000) from a mobile phone, regardless of which number you called.

106 – TTY (teletypewriter or textphone) emergency service

If you are deaf or have a hearing and/or speech communication difficulty, you can use 106 with a TTY.

TTY 106:

  • is available 24/7
  • is free to call
  • connects you to police, fire or ambulance via the National Relay Service (NRS) and is given priority over other NRS calls.

How it works

  • Dial 106 using a TTY (also known as a teletypewriter or textphone)
  • Type:
    • PPP for Police
    • FFF for Fire
    • AAA for Ambulance

Note: Speak and Listen (or voice carry over) users just need to say 'police', 'fire' or 'ambulance' to the relay officer

  • The relay officer will:
    • Call the emergency service for you
    • Stay on the line to relay your messages

You will be asked to confirm your address. 106 works through a landline TTY connection, which helps emergency services locate you.

Important things to know

The 106 service is only for use by people who are deaf or have a hearing and/or speech communication difficulty and who are calling through a TTY. It cannot be used by:

  • standard mobile or landline phones
  • text message (SMS).

The Australian 106 Text Emergency Relay Service is provided as part of the National Relay Service (NRS).

In addition to TTY 106, the NRS has other technologies to relay calls to Triple Zero (000) from people who are deaf or have a hearing and/or speech communication difficulty. These include, but are not limited to, NRS Chat, SMS Relay and Video Relay.

To learn more about different ways to make emergency calls using the NRS, visit How to make an emergency call using the NRS. If you have questions, you can contact the National Relay Service Help Desk (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm AEST).

Voice over Internet Protocol

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) allows calls to be made over the Internet instead of a traditional phone line. Not all VoIP providers support emergency calls. Check with your VoIP provider to confirm if you can call emergency services.

State and territory emergency service organisations

Emergency service organisations (ESOs) (i.e. police, fire and ambulance) are managed by state and territory governments.

For more information, visit the state and territory emergency service organisations page.

Do not use 911

  • 911 is the emergency services telephone number used in the United States of America and Canada
  • Do not use 911 in Australia
  • Calls to 911 will not be redirected to 000.