[LINK] National Emergency Alert System (was ABC Mobile Web Site Failed Accessibility Test

[Tom Worthington]

At 04:44 PM 22/03/2009, George Bray wrote:
>... Since when is it the ABC's job to provide a national emergency alert
>system?  ...

As far as I can see, there is no legislation specifically requiring 
the ABC to provide emergency warnings (there is for commercial 
broadcasters), but they did volunteer for the job and the Minister 
can direct them to do it.

The ABC has used slogans such as: "ABC Local Radio, your emergency 
services broadcaster":
    * "During the Bushfire season, for regular fire updates, tune 
into ABC Local Radio, your emergency services broadcaster. ..." 
<http://www.abc.net.au/goulburnmurray/competitions/?nav=true>ABC 
Goulburn Murray, 16 October 2008 
<http://www.abc.net.au/goulburnmurray/competitions/?nav=true>
This role seems to have been endorsed by the state governments, with 
their emergency web pages advising the public to listen to ABC local 
radio for emergency information:
    * "During a serious emergency where life or property may be at 
risk, you can also obtain information by: Listening to your 
<http://www.abc.net.au/reception/freq/>local ABC Radio station at 15 
minutes past the hour and 15 minutes to the hour. ...", From: 
"<http://www.fesa.wa.gov.au/internet/alerts/Alerts/tabid/79/ctl/Terms/Default.aspx>Emergency 
Alerts", Fire & Emergency Services Authority of Western Australia 
(FESA), 2008 
<http://www.fesa.wa.gov.au/internet/alerts/Alerts/tabid/79/ctl/Terms/Default.aspx> 

More formally there are Memorandums of Understanding between the ABC 
and the 
<http://www.oesc.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/OESC/resources/file/eb279806934f707/ABC_MOU.pdf>Victorian 
Emergency Services Organisations (4 February 2004) 
<http://www.oesc.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/OESC/resources/file/eb279806934f707/ABC_MOU.pdf> 
and the 
<http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/about/minister_view.asp?id=1072>Queensland 
Department of Emergency Services (6 September 2005) 
<http://www.emergency.qld.gov.au/about/minister_view.asp?id=1072> for 
the ABC to broadcast emergency messages. While the MoUs are 
non-legally binding arrangements, it would seem to be a formal 
commitment by the ABC to provide an emergency service.

Emergency warnings are not mentioned in the 
<http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/ABCcharter.htm>ABC Charter 
<http://www.abc.net.au/corp/pubs/ABCcharter.htm>. This is a curious 
anomaly, as it is a requirement for commercial broadcasters, under 
the 
<http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_act/bsa1992214/s61ce.html?query=emergency>BROADCASTING 
SERVICES ACT 1992 - SECT 61CE 
<http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_act/bsa1992214/s61ce.html?query=emergency>. 
However, under the ABC's Act the Minister can direct the ABC to 
broadcast a 
"<http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/abca1983361/s78.html>particular 
matter" in the national interest. An emergency warning would be in 
the national interest: 
<http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/abca1983361/s78.html>

>You blog: ... system can be in place for the 2009/2010 bush-fire 
>season at a cost of less than $10M." How has this cost been determined?  ...

The federal government is building a system to provide state 
governments with access to the phone directory for emergency calls. 
This is to 
<http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.au/www/ministers/RobertMc.nsf/Page/MediaReleases_2009_FirstQuarter_23February2009-RuddGovernmentImplementsCOAGAgreementonTelephone-BasedEmergencyWarningSystems>cost 
$11.3M 
<http://www.attorneygeneral.gov.au/www/ministers/RobertMc.nsf/Page/MediaReleases_2009_FirstQuarter_23February2009-RuddGovernmentImplementsCOAGAgreementonTelephone-BasedEmergencyWarningSystems>.

A national warning system would be less complex to build than 
multiple interfaces from the phone directory system to state based 
systems and therefore cheaper. I therefore estimated the cost at 
slightly less than the phone directory project.

>With the consultation of the carriers and broadcasters?  ...

While the carriers and broadcasters should be consulted about how an 
emergency warning is communicated, they should not be able to impede 
the work. Under the ABC, Broadcasting and Telecommunications Acts the 
Commonwealth Government has the authority to direct carriers and 
broadcasters to provide emergency warnings.

Apart from the 
<http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s335.html?query=defence>Broadcasting 
Act, the Telecommunications Act 1997 - SECT 335 contains provision 
for the government to require service providers to supply specific 
services for the management of natural disasters 
<http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ta1997214/s335.html?query=defence>. 
In 1999, at the Defence Department, I got this ready to use, in case 
Y2K caused chaos.

The Emergency Management Agency moved from Defence to Attorney 
General's in 2001, but someone seems to have forgotten to change the 
Telecommunications Act to transfer the natural disasters authority 
from the Defence minister to the Attorney General.

The current ad-hoc arrangement of phones and fax machines for 
communication between the states, commonwealth and broadcasters is 
not a satisfactory "system".



Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd            ABN: 17 088 714 309
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617                      http://www.tomw.net.au/
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Australian National University