Disaster alert system taken to the world

Australia's emergency alert system will be shown as a model for the rest of the world to follow at a major conference in Japan.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan is representing Australia at the third UN world conference on disaster risk reduction in Sendai this weekend.

The conference will be attended by about 18 heads of state, 100 ministers and thousands of delegates.

The main business for the conference is a new deal on disaster risk reduction known as the Sendai Framework.

Work began on the framework after the earthquake and tsunami which devastated Sendai and the Miyagi Prefecture four years ago.

Mr Keenan will tell the conference about Australia's emergency alert system, describing it as a "world class, fully inclusive warning system".

Since its launch in 2009, states and territories have sent nearly 11 million warning messages via the system.

Mr Keenan will also outline how the Queensland town of Grantham was relocated to higher ground after the 2011 flood, saving most of the homes and at least $30 million when another flood occurred two years later.