A crash, a medical emergency, a vehicle fire: on a long stretch of Queensland highway, the first question the 000 operator asks is where you are, and "somewhere between two towns" doesn't send help to the right place. This guide covers what your phone does automatically, what to tell the operator, and how road crews can have the answer ready before they need it.
First: call 000
In a life-threatening emergency, call 000 first. Location comes next; the operator will help you work it out.
- Any network will do. The Australian Communications and Media Authority says: "Your call to 000 will be carried on any available mobile network. You must be in the coverage area of one of the mobile providers in Australia to make emergency calls." It's free, and works even without an active SIM.
- Read your signal bars. If your phone shows SOS, SOS only or Emergency calls only, you can still reach 000 through another network. No service means no network at all, and a mobile can't reach 000.
- If it doesn't connect within about five seconds, the federal government advises hanging up and redialling, then staying on the line for up to 60 seconds.
- 112 also works from mobiles and goes to the same service. It gets no priority over 000.
- You can't text 000. People who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment can use 106 (TTY) or the National Relay Service.
What your phone sends automatically
Since 2021, Australia has used Advanced Mobile Location (AML). During an emergency call, compatible phones (Android 4.1 or later with Google Play Services, and iPhone 6s or later on iOS 14.3 or later) automatically switch on location services and send their position to the emergency call service by SMS.
That's a big help, but the government's advice is clear: you should still tell the operator your location if you can. The automatic position can be delayed, imprecise or missing, and it doesn't say which carriageway you're on, which direction you were travelling or how to get to you.
What to tell the operator on a highway
Have these ready, in roughly this order:
- The road: "the Bruce Highway", "the Warrego Highway". If you're not sure, say the towns it links.
- Your direction of travel: "heading north towards Gympie". On a divided road this decides which side emergency vehicles come up.
- The last town, exit or landmark you passed, and roughly how far back it was. If you noted your odometer passing through the last town, the difference is your distance from it.
- The nearest kilometre plate. These white-on-green plates on arterial roads show the distance to towns and cities, with the town's first letter: "G 23" means 23 km to Gympie.
- Anything you can see: a bridge or creek name sign, a rest area, an intersection, a property name on a gate, a power line crossing.
- Your GPS coordinates, from the Emergency+ app or your phone's maps.
The operator may ask you to wait at a meeting point and guide crews in. If you can do that safely, it saves time.
Install Emergency+ now, before you need it
Emergency+ is a free app developed by Australia's emergency services and their government and industry partners. It calls 000 with one tap and shows your location on screen, ready to read out: latitude and longitude, an address where one is available, and a what3words address. According to its App Store listing, the what3words address works offline, though you still need a network signal to make the call.
Install it on your phone and your crew's phones today, and open it once so it has its permissions in place.
Where chainage fits
Chainage is the road industry's address system: TMR road section plus distance along the road. It's precise, but it's not what 000 operators work in, so give the 000 operator road, direction, landmarks and coordinates, not chainage.
Chainage comes into its own straight afterwards:
- Reporting to the road authority: QLDTraffic on 13 19 40 takes reports of crashes, breakdowns and hazards on state-controlled roads, 24/7. A road section and chainage pinpoints it for TMR and its traffic crews.
- Your own team: supervisors, traffic controllers and other crews on the job know the site by chainage.
- Incident reports and records: an exact chainage, with photos tied to it, makes the report clear months later. See photo records and site evidence.
If you have coverage, Chainage gives both at once: Find my chainage shows the road, section and chainage, and Copy coords copies your latitude and longitude for a message.
For road crews: have the answer ready
Working on the road means you can plan for an emergency before it happens. Add an emergency location block to each site's paperwork and pre-start:
| Item | Example |
|---|---|
| Road and direction | Bruce Highway, works on the northbound side |
| Nearest town and distance | 12 km north of [town], 30 km south of [town] |
| Landmarks | Just north of the [name] Creek bridge |
| Coordinates of the meeting point | The site compound, in decimal degrees |
| Road section and chainage | For TMR, QLDTraffic and your own team |
| Access for emergency vehicles | Which carriageway, and where they can turn |
| Who meets them | A named person, with a radio or phone |
WorkSafe Queensland suggests carrying emergency numbers and GPS coordinates on a card. Brief the block at every pre-start, and keep a copy in each vehicle. A saved point for the meeting point in your job's Chainage project, with a QR code on the site pack, puts the exact spot on everyone's phone.
If there's no signal at all
- Satellite emergency texts: iPhone 14 and later can text emergency services by satellite in Australia, and Google lists Australia for Satellite SOS on Pixel 9 and newer (except the 9a). Both need a clear view of the sky. Telstra's satellite messaging service can't be used to call or text 000.
- Personal locator beacons (PLBs): for when your life is in danger and you can't reach emergency services by phone or radio. Register it with AMSA (free). Once it's activated on land, stay where you are.
- UHF CB radio: channels 5 and 35 are reserved for emergencies.
For a full plan for working beyond coverage, see working on remote Queensland roads.
Frequently asked questions
Can I call 000 with no signal from my own carrier?
Yes, if any mobile network is available. Calls to 000 are carried on any available mobile network, even without an active SIM. If your phone shows No service, no network is available and a mobile can't reach 000.
Does 000 automatically know where I am?
Compatible phones send their location automatically during an emergency call through Advanced Mobile Location. You should still tell the operator your location, direction of travel and nearby landmarks if you can.
What do the green kilometre signs on Queensland highways mean?
Kilometre plates show the distance to towns and cities along the route. The letter is the first letter of the town, and the number is the distance in kilometres.
Should I give the 000 operator a chainage?
Give the operator the road, your direction, the nearest town or landmark and your GPS coordinates. Chainage is most useful for TMR, QLDTraffic and your own team after the emergency call.
Can I text 000?
No. People who are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment can use 106 by TTY or the National Relay Service. Some phones can send emergency texts by satellite where there's no mobile coverage.
Sources
- ACMA, Emergency calls.
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts, How to call Triple Zero (000) and Using other emergency numbers.
- Emergency+, and Queensland Ambulance Service, Calling an ambulance.
- Queensland Government, Route marker signs (kilometre plates) and Breakdown safety.
- WorkSafe Queensland, Remote and isolated work.
- Apple, Emergency SOS via satellite; Google, Satellite SOS on Pixel; Telstra, Satellite messaging.
- AMSA, How distress beacons work; ACMA, CB radio class licence.