Australian telephone numbering plan
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The Australian telephone numbering plan was reorganised by the Australian Communications Authority between 1996 and 1998.
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Present numbering plan
Australia is now divided geographically into a few large area codes, some of which cover more than one state and territory. The standard telephone number in Australia has ten digits, of which the first is "0".
Fixed line telephone numbers in Australia consist of the long distance prefix (0) a single digit area code and an eight-digit local number. The first four "local" digits generally specify the exchange, and the final four a line at that exchange. (Most exchanges, though, have several four-digit exchange codes.)
Mobile phone numbers are prefixed with 04, followed by two digits and the subscriber's number, dialled in full, e.g. 0412 xxx xxx. The two-digit codes are allocated per network, although with the introduction of number portability, there is no longer a fixed relationship between the mobile phone number and the network it uses.
The following number ranges are now used in the numbering plan:
02 9xxx xxxx Sydney (now also 02 8xxx xxxx) 02 62xx xxxx Australian Capital Territory 02 6xxx xxxx New South Wales central regional areas* 02 4xxx xxxx New South Wales coastal regional areas* 03 9xxx xxxx Melbourne (now also 03 8xxx xxxx) 03 6xxx xxxx Tasmania (Hobart 03 62xx xxxx) 03 5xxx xxxx Victoria regional areas 04xx xxx xxx Mobile phone services 07 3xxx xxxx Brisbane 07 xxxx xxxx Queensland regional areas 08 8xxx xxxx Adelaide 08 8xxx xxxx South Australia regional areas 08 89xx xxxx Northern Territory 08 9xxx xxxx Perth (now also 08 6xxx xxxx) 08 9xxx xxxx Western Australia regional areas 08 9162 xxxx Christmas Island 08 9164 xxxx Cocos Keeling Islands
* Parts of New South Wales may also have numbers with different area codes, hence Broken Hill uses the code 08
Previous numbering plan
Prior to reorganisation, the Australian numbering plan was as follows:
00x xxx xxx Tasmania (Hobart 002 xxx xxx) 0055 xx xxx Premium rate 008 xxx xxx Freecall 014 xxx xxx Mobile phone services. 02 xxx xxxx Sydney 03 xxx xxxx Melbourne 04x xxx xxx New South Wales coastal regional areas 05x xxx xxx Victoria regional areas 06 2xx xxxx Australian Capital Territory 06x xxx xxx New South Wales central regional areas 07 xxx xxxx Brisbane 07x xxx xxx Queensland regional areas 08 xxx xxxx Adelaide 08x xxx xxx South Australia regional areas 089 xxx xxx Northern Territory 09 xxx xxxx Perth 09x xxx xxx Western Australia regional areas 091 62x xxx Christmas Island* 091 64x xxx Cocos Keeling Islands*
* Until 1994, these territories were not part of the Australian numbering plan, and instead used the code 672, for the Australian External Territories of Norfolk Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory.
International access codes
The main international prefix is 0011 (there are others for special purposes, such as 0018, for charging in half-hour blocks, 0015, for fax traffic, and 0014, for discounted rates). However, carrier selection codes (14xx) are now also used, and carrier pre-selection now widely used.
Emergency services number
000 is the emergency telephone number in Australia, but the internationally-accepted GSM mobile emergency telephone number 112 also works on mobile phones.
Freecall, local and premium-rate numbers
Australia also uses the free call area code 1800. This is copied from the U.S. prefix 1-800, but while in North America, the 1 is the long-distance prefix and 800 is the area code, 1800 in Australia is itself an area code (prior to the introduction of 8-digit numbers, the area code was 008). Similarly, '190x' is the code for charging services (i.e. recorded information, competition lines, psychics, phone sex, etc). (Prior to the introduction of 8-digit numbers, the area code was 0055.)
There are also 13 and 1300 numbers, which work across large areas (up to across Australia) and only charge a local call, routing the call to the appropriate place in a given area. (For example, a company could have the number 139999 and have the telephone company set it up so that calls made in Melbourne would route to their Melbourne number, calls made in Brisbane to their Brisbane number, and calls made anywhere else in Australia route to their Sydney number, all at a local charge cost to the caller.)
These telephone numbers are not accessible from outside Australia.