Telstra will immediately begin work on a new national telephone-based disaster warning system, the Victorian Government has announced.

Police and Emergency Services Minister Bob Cameron last week announced the giant telco will be charged with the quick introduction of a national emergency warning system. It is expected to be completed by the end of next month prior to comprehensive testing during November.

“The system will alert communities to emergencies via a recorded voice message on landline telephones and a text message on mobiles based on the subscriber’s billing address,” he said.

The Telstra contract follows an agreement by the Council of Australian Governments in April. Victoria is responsible for leading the procurement and implementation process.

In August the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission interim report recommended a national warning system should be established in time for the beginning of bushfire season next month.

It’s hoped the system will help avoid a repeat of the Black Saturday disaster that killed 173 people.

The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission last week heard further evidence attributing power line failures to a total of four Black Saturday bushfires.

Legal counsel for power providers have disputed some of those claims.