000 vs GP vs urgent care: Australia's emergency and health services explained
Triple Zero — 000
000 (Triple Zero) is Australia’s national emergency number — free, available 24/7, and works even if your phone has no credit or limited network signal.
Call 000 for:
- Medical emergency (ambulance) — life-threatening situations, unconsciousness, difficulty breathing.
- Police — crime in progress, serious road accidents.
- Fire brigade — fires, people trapped.
From an international mobile phone, 112 also connects to Triple Zero in Australia.
When should you call 000?
Call 000 immediately for:
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, suspected heart attack or stroke (remember F.A.S.T.: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 000).
- Unconsciousness or unresponsiveness.
- Severe bleeding that cannot be controlled.
- Suspected spinal injury or serious head trauma after an accident.
- Seizure occurring for the first time, or lasting more than 5 minutes.
- Anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) — difficulty breathing, facial swelling.
Poisoning or overdose: call the Poisons Information Centre: 13 11 26 (24/7, national).
Ambulance fees: ambulance callouts are charged in most states — fees range from a few hundred to over $1,000 depending on the state and distance. Queensland and Tasmania provide free ambulance for residents. Private health insurance (Hospital cover) typically includes ambulance cover.
Healthdirect — free 24/7 nurse advice line
Healthdirect: 1800 022 222 Free, 24/7 health advice line staffed by registered nurses.
Use Healthdirect when you are unsure whether a situation requires emergency care, need guidance on managing a minor health concern at home, or want to find the nearest GP, pharmacy, or healthcare facility. Also available via healthdirect.gov.au.
Which service to use
| Situation | Where to go |
|---|---|
| Life-threatening emergency | Call 000 immediately |
| Serious but not immediately life-threatening | Emergency Department (ED) at a public hospital |
| Needs same-day care, no GP available | Urgent Care Clinic or after-hours GP |
| Cold, sore throat, routine review | GP (book an appointment) |
| Unsure what to do | Healthdirect 1800 022 222 |
| Poisoning or medication concern | 13 11 26 (Poisons Information) |
Emergency Department (ED) — public hospitals
EDs accept all patients, no appointment needed, 24/7. However they operate a triage system — patients are treated in order of clinical urgency, not arrival time:
| Triage category | Target wait time |
|---|---|
| 1 — Resuscitation | Immediate |
| 2 — Emergency | Within 10 minutes |
| 3 — Urgent | Within 30 minutes |
| 4 — Semi-urgent | Within 1 hour |
| 5 — Non-urgent | Within 2 hours |
Non-emergency presentations at a public ED result in long waits. ED treatment at a public hospital is free with Medicare.
Medicare Urgent Care Clinics
Since 2023–24, the federal government has been expanding a network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics — extended-hours walk-in clinics (typically 8am–10pm, 7 days a week) that bulk bill Medicare patients. They handle same-day conditions that are not life-threatening emergencies — relieving pressure on EDs.
Find the nearest Urgent Care Clinic: healthdirect.gov.au.