Emergency numbers in Australia

Police / Fire / Ambulance (Australia wide)

• Phone Number: 000 (or try 112 if on a mobile)
• Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

000 should only be called in an emergency.

This is a number to call if your child is seriously injured and needs immediate medical attention (especially if you need an ambulance to take them to hospital).

• Advise the operator which service you require (police, fire or ambulance)
• Explain the situation and speak clearly
• State your address clearly if you need an ambulance

Poisons Information Hotline (Australia-wide)

• Phone Number: 13 11 26 (this is the same number Australia-wide)
• Web: https://www.poisonsinfo.nsw.gov.au/
• Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

The Poisons Information Hotline should be called in the following situations:

• you or your child have ingested anything potentially poisonous to them
  • prescription medication
  • over-the-counter (OTC) medication
  • cosmetics and perfume
  • petrol and kerosene
  • car products
  • insecticides, herbicides, rat and snail bait
  • paints
  • plants
  • mushrooms
  • anything that could be dangerous to a child
• you or your child have been bitten or stung by a animal, reptile, spider, insect or marine creature

if you have any questions or concerns about storing chemicals, prescription tablets or poisonous substances or even how to put strategies in place to prevent poisoning of your child in the first place

If your child or an adult has collapsed, stopped breathing, is fitting or is suffering an anaphylactic reaction, ring 000 for an ambulance. Do not ring the Poisons Information Centre.

HealthDirect (Australia wide)

• Phone Number: 1800 022 222
• Hearing impaired (TTY access): 1800 022 226
• Web: www.healthdirect.org.au
• Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

HealthDirect is a free 24 hour, seven day a week health advice line which is a joint initiative of the Australian Government and the governments of the ACT, NSW, NT, Tasmania, SA and WA.

HealthDirect will be made progressively available to residents of New South Wales and Tasmania. HealthDirect is scheduled to be a fully national service in Australia by 2011.

The specially trained nurses at HealthDirect are not there to replace your doctor or the 000 emergency number, nor do they provide a diagnosis. HealthDirect provides a back-up and an additional source of health advice that is available to anyone via the telephone.

The specially trained nurses at HealthDirect follow a set of procedures to assess your health problem to provide the following services:

• Assessing your health needs to determine if your situation is urgent and serious
• Providing health information and advice, including a recommendation on what to do next (go to a hospital, see your doctor in the next 24 or 48 hours)
• Providing information on the location and availability of health services in your area (including after hours clinics)
• Providing first aid advice to you (if necessary) until emergency help arrives
• Connecting you to the appropriate emergency service if your health issue is serious and urgent

* HealthDirect is a free service from all landlines, but may incur a higher cost from mobile phones

NURSE-ON-CALL (VIC only)

• Phone Number: 1300 60 60 24
• Web: www.health.vic.gov.au/nurseoncall
• Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

NURSE-ON-CALL is a telephone health line, providing Victorians with immediate expert health information and advice 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The registered nurse will take down your details and ask you a series of questions about your child’s symptoms and other issues relating to your child’s health. The nurse will then advise:

• ways you can take care of your child
• to go see your medical doctor as soon as you can
• if the condition is very serious, will transfer the call to 000

Note: nurses do not provide a full diagnosis of your symptoms

NURSE-ON-CALL uses the most up-to-date health information available, in order to give you and your family the highest quality advice.

* local call from anywhere in Victoria (calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate)

Lifeline (Australia wide)

• Phone Number: 13 11 14
• Web: www.lifeline.org.au
• Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Lifeline is a number to call when you need some free and confidential telephone counselling.

• Lifeline is staffed by trained counselling volunteers
• Lifeline helps people who may be thinking about suicide or other emotional problems
• Lifeline provides relationship and personal wellbeing advice
• Lifeline may be able to point you in the right direction about help for post-partum depression

* Calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate than local calls

Parentline (QLD & NT only)

• Phone Number: 13 22 89
• Web: www.parentline.com.au
• Hours: 8am-10pm 7 days a week

Parentline is a confidential telephone counselling service which you can call to obtain professional counselling and support, to discuss any parenting issues about your child. It is completely anonymous.

It has been created to provide free counselling & support services to parents in QLD and NT.

* Calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate than local call

Kids Helpline (Australia wide)

• Phone Number: 1800 551 800
• Web: www.kidshelp.com.au
• Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Kids Helpline is an anonymous, confidential and especially for kids telephone counselling service.

Children and adolescents can email the site or ring to discuss issues such as:

• Child abuse, neglect and domestic violence
• Bullying
• Eating disorders
• Suicide prevention

* Kids Helpline is a free service from all landlines, but may incur a higher cost from mobile phones

Maternal and Child Health Line (VIC only)

• Phone Number: 13 22 29
• Web: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/
• Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

The Maternal and Child Health Line is a telephone service available to families with children birth to school age, which is staffed by maternal and child health nurses who provide callers with information, support and advice about:

• Child health and nutrition
• Breastfeeding issues
• Maternal health
• Parenting issues

The Maternal and Child Health Line can provide female interpreters from the Translating Interpreter Service for families that are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse.

The service can also provide service to hearing or speech impaired callers, with access to the National Relay Service (NRS).

* Calls from mobile phones may be charged at a higher rate than local call

Last reviewed and updated: 8 July 2024