Australia’s emergency communications systems play a critical role in keeping people safe. But for many older Australians, people living with a disability and others who rely on monitored personal emergency response systems, access to help depends on more than the ability to pick up a phone and call Triple Zero.
That is why Personal Emergency Response Services Limited (PERSL) recently made a submission to the Triple Zero Legislative and Regulatory Review, calling for stronger protections for monitored personal alarm users during major telecommunications outages.
The submission, dated 7 August 2026, highlights the important role monitored Personal Emergency Response Services play within Australia’s broader emergency response system and outlines practical reforms designed to improve resilience for people who depend on these services.
Why monitored personal alarms matter
Personal Emergency Response Systems, or PERS, are designed to help people quickly access support when they are unable to do so through ordinary means.
A monitored system typically combines a wearable device or sensor, communications technology and a 24/7 monitoring centre. When an alarm is activated, either manually or automatically, the alert is transmitted to a trained response operator. The operator can assess the situation and arrange an appropriate response, which may include contacting family, carers or emergency services.
For some people, these systems are an important part of living independently and safely at home.
Importantly, not every alarm activation requires an ambulance or other emergency response. Professional monitoring centres can assess and triage alerts before escalating them where necessary.
Research cited in our submission found that the MePACS personal alarm service reduced avoidable ambulance attendances by approximately 35%. Of around 2,000 alarms handled by the service each day, just over 60 required escalation to emergency services.
This highlights the role monitored services can play in helping people access the right response for the situation, while also reducing unnecessary pressure on emergency services.
The July outage exposed a critical gap
PERSL’s submission follows the nationwide Telstra mobile network outage on 8 July 2026.
The outage disrupted telecommunications services across Australia, including communications pathways used by some monitored medical alarm services.
For people who can independently use a mobile phone, existing emergency arrangements can provide an additional layer of protection. Mobile phones attempting to contact Triple Zero can use emergency “camp-on” arrangements, allowing them to connect through another available mobile network when their normal carrier is unavailable.
However, these arrangements do not currently extend in the same way to monitored Personal Emergency Response Systems.
That distinction matters.
Many people who rely on a wearable emergency pendant, fall detector or other monitored alarm may not be physically able to pick up a phone and dial Triple Zero during an emergency. Their alarm may be their primary practical way of requesting assistance.
During the July outage, PERSL reported that some medical alarm activations were unable to reach monitoring centres where devices relied on the affected network. The outage also interrupted communications between clients, monitoring centres and emergency services, while creating understandable uncertainty for users and their families.
The event highlighted the need to consider monitored medical alarms as part of Australia’s wider emergency communications framework.
A call for emergency cross-carrier roaming
One of the central recommendations in PERSL’s submission is the introduction of mandatory emergency cross-carrier roaming for certified Personal Emergency Response Systems.
Rather than calling for unrestricted domestic roaming, PERSL has proposed a controlled emergency failover model.
Under this approach, telecommunications networks would continue to operate independently under normal circumstances. If a carrier experienced a catastrophic outage, approved medical alarm providers or devices could temporarily connect to another available Australian mobile network so emergency communications could continue until the primary network was restored.
PERSL describes this as a “break glass in case of emergency” approach.
The aim is to provide an additional safeguard for people who rely on monitored alarm services, without changing normal commercial telecommunications arrangements.
Because medical alarm devices typically transmit very small amounts of emergency-related data or short voice communications, PERSL argues that this type of failover could provide a substantial public safety benefit with minimal impact on network capacity.
Recognising personal alarm communications as critical infrastructure
PERSL is also asking for telecommunications pathways supporting monitored Personal Emergency Response Systems to be formally recognised as critical health infrastructure.
Monitored alarm services are used across aged care, disability support, community care, rehabilitation and post-hospital arrangements. They can also provide monitoring centres and emergency responders with important information about the person requiring assistance.
Depending on the service, this may include the client’s identity, location, emergency contacts, health information relevant to the response, access arrangements and information about the nature of the alarm activation.
PERSL’s position is that these systems should therefore be considered part of Australia’s wider health, care and emergency response ecosystem, rather than simply being treated as consumer telecommunications devices.
Better reporting and industry consultation
The submission also raises concerns about how the impact of major telecommunications outages is measured and reported.
Public reporting may capture people who were unable to contact Triple Zero directly, but it may not fully reflect people whose monitored alarm devices were unable to communicate with their monitoring centre.
PERSL is therefore recommending independent regulatory reporting on the impact of major telecommunications outages on vulnerable Australians, including people who depend on monitored emergency response services.
It is also calling for PERSL and the wider Personal Emergency Response Services industry to be formally included in future telecommunications resilience reviews, emergency communications reforms and relevant regulatory investigations.
This would help ensure that the needs and experiences of monitored alarm users are considered when Australia’s emergency communications systems are reviewed and strengthened.
PERSL’s key recommendations
Through its submission, PERSL is asking the Triple Zero Legislative and Regulatory Review to consider four key areas of reform:
- Recognise monitored medical alarm communications as critical infrastructure.
- Introduce emergency cross-carrier roaming for certified Personal Emergency Response Systems during catastrophic telecommunications outages.
- Require independent reporting on the impact of major outages on vulnerable Australians.
- Include PERSL and the Personal Emergency Response Services industry as recognised stakeholders in future telecommunications and emergency communications reviews.
Building a more resilient emergency response system
The July outage demonstrated how heavily some Australians depend on reliable telecommunications infrastructure to access help.
For people who rely on monitored personal alarms, resilience means ensuring an emergency signal can still reach a monitoring centre when it is needed most.
PERSL’s submission is an opportunity to bring those users into the broader conversation about the future of Triple Zero and Australia’s emergency communications framework.
PERSL and its members have expressed their willingness to work with the Triple Zero Custodian, government, regulators, telecommunications providers and emergency services to develop practical reforms that strengthen resilience and help protect the Australians who depend on monitored personal emergency response services.