The debut of the government’s AusAlert has gone catastrophically wrong after the incorrect text was accidentally sent to the entire country.
After years of development and calibration, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said AusAlert will pioneer the future of distracting new phone buzzes.
But upon testing day, instead of the prepared “This is a Test” notification, a last-minute phone mix-up saw 25 million Australians receive a text directed at the unreliable husband of one NEMA worker.
“Hey babe, remember we’re having honey soy stir fry tonight and I need you to put the chicken out to thaw before I’m home,” read the homescreen of phones across the country.
“And before you start: no, we can’t just put the chicken in the microwave. It ruins the texture, and I don’t want to risk Melanie getting salmonella again.
“Also the girls have karate at 4 pm, and I told Charlene you’ll be on pick-up duty to make up for last week. Don’t forget the booster seat for Tash.
“I think that’s about everything. Sorry to throw all this your way, I’ve just been so busy at work with the whole AusAlert test that I’ve let things slip at home. Good news is, that’s all going to go smoothly without any major problems whatsoever. Okay, love you and see you tonight! XOXO”
In response to the alert, many Australians were relieved that at least it wasn’t from Clive Palmer.
