Triple Zero (000)

Published: 20th August 2007

This number could save your life.

Triple Zero (000) is Australia's emergency number yet a surprising number of people don't know it, aren't sure when to use it or confuse it with overseas emergency numbers.

A national advertising campaign – which is directed at both adults and children – has been launched to educate the community about when to use the number and what to expect. 

A children's television commercial developed and performed by children’s entertainment group the Hooley Dooleys is also being aired to teach kids that the number to call in an emergency is Triple Zero.

The campaign also aims to reduce the high incidence of non-genuine calls to the emergency service number. For every genuine call there is another call that has been misdialled, is not an emergency or is malicious.

The key message of the campaign is "Stay focused, Stay relevant, Stay on the line".

There are three important things to remember when calling Triple Zero (000):

  • When you call Triple Zero (000), an operator will ask you what service you require.
  • Simply say 'Police', 'Fire' or 'Ambulance'. If you are calling from a mobile phone, you will need to provide the state and town the emergency is in.
  • Once you have been connected to the appropriate service, stay on the line and provide as much information to the operator as possible. For example, the house number and street name and a cross street. If you are calling from a fixed phone and you need to leave for safety reasons, leave the phone off the hook.

For further information about Triple Zero (000) visit the new website www.triplezero.gov.au or download the following resources:

Triple Zero (000) campaign brief (PDF, 98KB)

Triple Zero (000) fact sheet (PDF, 89KB)

Triple Zero (000) colouring-in sheet (PDF, 84KB)

Triple Zero posters in ethnic languages

Triple Zero (000) television and radio ads

Fire Brigades Triple Zero (000) awareness television message (mpg, 1.71MB)

Ambulance Triple Zero (000) awareness television message (mpg, 1.82MB)

Police Triple Zero (000) awareness television message(mpg, 1.98MB)

Hooley Dooleys Triple Zero (00) children's awareness television message (mpg, 2.71MB)

Triple Zero (000) Radio Messages (mp3, 2.11MB)

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Triple Zero Radio Messages (mp3, 6.87MB)

Hooley Dooleys Triple Zero (000) Children's Awareness Photo