Hawaii’s false missile warning has raised a number of questions about whether the world is prepared for a potential North Korean attack.

An emergency alert was sent mistakenly to mobile phones across Hawaii warning of an imminent ballistic missile attack when an employee at the state emergency management agency pushed the “wrong button”.

It took authorities 38 minutes to cancel the alert, telling people it was a false alarm.

State Warning Point has issued a Missile Alert in ERROR! There is NO threat to the State of Hawaii! @MayorKirkHNL @Hawaii_EMA

— Oahu Emergency Mgmt. (@Oahu_DEM) January 13, 2018

Retired Major General and newly elected Senator Jim Molan tells Steve Price Australia does have similar systems in place.

“It’s almost impossible in all of these complex systems, and we have a similar one in Australia, to eradicate someone who pushes the wrong button.

“The American is not very, very old. But as soon as you figure out one way of frightening the entire population, we the people will find another way to frighten them.

As for whether Australia is actually at risk of being attacked?

“It’s only the latest missile, that you have to say is still in development, that theoretically could reach almost all of Australia.

“But the probability of that occurring approaches zero. The North Koreans are said to have something between 20 and 60 warheads… but why would they strike us rather than America?”

Click PLAY below for the full interview

2GB Producer Cameron Reddin is in Hawaii on holidays and tells Steve how he and his family feared for their lives when the warning was released.

“By the time we got to the lobby, there were thousands of people, some were on their knees praying, there were children crying and people running for their lives, sprinting either up the beach or out of the hotel.

“You feel like fish in a barrel in a way and all bets are off.

“For those full 38 minutes, I and the people I was with, certainly thought that they might have been our last.”

Click PLAY below to hear Cam’s update from Hawaii