diff --git a/.changeset/fresh-lines-guess.md b/.changeset/fresh-lines-guess.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..623e1474706
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/fresh-lines-guess.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@primer/react': patch
+---
+
+SelectPanel: Ensure empty message live region reads from provided or default message
diff --git a/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithDeprecatedActionList.tsx b/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithDeprecatedActionList.tsx
index cec49c9ee8f..c32abcd618a 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithDeprecatedActionList.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithDeprecatedActionList.tsx
@@ -44,6 +44,10 @@ export interface FilteredActionListProps
   inputRef?: React.RefObject<HTMLInputElement>
   className?: string
   announcementsEnabled?: boolean
+  messageText?: {
+    title: string
+    description: string
+  }
   onSelectAllChange?: (checked: boolean) => void
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithModernActionList.tsx b/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithModernActionList.tsx
index 1568cad1032..4fb78de0e56 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithModernActionList.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/FilteredActionListWithModernActionList.tsx
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ export interface FilteredActionListProps
   textInputProps?: Partial<Omit<TextInputProps, 'onChange'>>
   inputRef?: React.RefObject<HTMLInputElement>
   message?: React.ReactNode
+  messageText?: {
+    title: string
+    description: string
+  }
   className?: string
   announcementsEnabled?: boolean
   fullScreenOnNarrow?: boolean
@@ -69,6 +73,7 @@ export function FilteredActionList({
   groupMetadata,
   showItemDividers,
   message,
+  messageText,
   className,
   announcementsEnabled = true,
   fullScreenOnNarrow,
@@ -155,7 +160,7 @@ export function FilteredActionList({
     }
   }, [items])
 
-  useAnnouncements(items, {current: listContainerElement}, inputRef, announcementsEnabled, loading)
+  useAnnouncements(items, {current: listContainerElement}, inputRef, announcementsEnabled, loading, messageText)
   useScrollFlash(scrollContainerRef)
 
   const handleSelectAllChange = useCallback(
diff --git a/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/useAnnouncements.tsx b/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/useAnnouncements.tsx
index 9b3b82ed539..d3070c820f8 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/useAnnouncements.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/FilteredActionList/useAnnouncements.tsx
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@ export const useAnnouncements = (
   inputRef: React.RefObject<HTMLInputElement>,
   enabled: boolean = true,
   loading: boolean = false,
+  message?: {title: string; description: string},
 ) => {
   const liveRegion = document.querySelector('live-region')
 
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ export const useAnnouncements = (
       liveRegion?.clear() // clear previous announcements
 
       if (items.length === 0 && !loading) {
-        announce('No matching items.', {delayMs})
+        announce(`${message?.title}. ${message?.description}`, {delayMs})
         return
       }
 
@@ -115,6 +116,6 @@ export const useAnnouncements = (
         })
       })
     },
-    [announce, isFirstRender, items, listContainerRef, liveRegion, loading],
+    [announce, isFirstRender, items, listContainerRef, liveRegion, loading, message],
   )
 }
diff --git a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.examples.stories.tsx b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.examples.stories.tsx
index b338657a1ac..a9641a9abc8 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.examples.stories.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.examples.stories.tsx
@@ -465,3 +465,34 @@ export const SelectPanelRepositionInsideDialog = () => {
     </Dialog>
   )
 }
+
+export const WithDefaultMessage = () => {
+  const [selected, setSelected] = useState<ItemInput[]>(items.slice(1, 3))
+  const [filter, setFilter] = useState('')
+  const filteredItems = items.filter(item => item.text.toLowerCase().startsWith(filter.toLowerCase()))
+
+  const [open, setOpen] = useState(false)
+
+  return (
+    <FormControl>
+      <FormControl.Label>Labels</FormControl.Label>
+      <SelectPanel
+        title="Select labels"
+        placeholder="Select labels" // button text when no items are selected
+        subtitle="Use labels to organize issues and pull requests"
+        renderAnchor={({children, ...anchorProps}) => (
+          <Button trailingAction={TriangleDownIcon} {...anchorProps} aria-haspopup="dialog">
+            {children}
+          </Button>
+        )}
+        open={open}
+        onOpenChange={setOpen}
+        items={filteredItems}
+        selected={selected}
+        onSelectedChange={setSelected}
+        onFilterChange={setFilter}
+        width="medium"
+      />
+    </FormControl>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.test.tsx b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.test.tsx
index e48731ac84b..b1abc653f73 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.test.tsx
@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ for (const useModernActionList of [false, true]) {
           jest.useRealTimers()
         })
 
-        it('should announce when no results are available', async () => {
+        it('should announce default empty message when no results are available (no custom message is provided)', async () => {
           jest.useFakeTimers()
           const user = userEvent.setup({
             advanceTimers: jest.advanceTimersByTime,
@@ -765,7 +765,61 @@ for (const useModernActionList of [false, true]) {
 
           jest.runAllTimers()
           await waitFor(async () => {
-            expect(getLiveRegion().getMessage('polite')).toBe('No matching items.')
+            expect(getLiveRegion().getMessage('polite')).toBe(
+              "You haven't created any items yet. Please add or create new items to populate the list.",
+            )
+          })
+          jest.useRealTimers()
+        })
+
+        it('should announce custom empty message when no results are available', async () => {
+          jest.useFakeTimers()
+          const user = userEvent.setup({
+            advanceTimers: jest.advanceTimersByTime,
+          })
+
+          function SelectPanelWithCustomEmptyMessage() {
+            const [filter, setFilter] = React.useState('')
+            const [open, setOpen] = React.useState(false)
+
+            return (
+              <ThemeProvider>
+                <SelectPanel
+                  title="test title"
+                  subtitle="test subtitle"
+                  placeholder="Select items"
+                  placeholderText="Filter items"
+                  open={open}
+                  items={[]}
+                  onFilterChange={value => {
+                    setFilter(value)
+                  }}
+                  filterValue={filter}
+                  selected={[]}
+                  onSelectedChange={() => {}}
+                  onOpenChange={isOpen => {
+                    setOpen(isOpen)
+                  }}
+                  message={{
+                    title: 'Nothing found',
+                    body: `There's nothing here.`,
+                    variant: 'empty',
+                  }}
+                />
+              </ThemeProvider>
+            )
+          }
+
+          renderWithFlag(<SelectPanelWithCustomEmptyMessage />, useModernActionList)
+
+          await user.click(screen.getByText('Select items'))
+
+          await user.type(document.activeElement!, 'zero')
+          expect(screen.queryByRole('option')).toBeNull()
+
+          jest.runAllTimers()
+          await waitFor(async () => {
+            expect(getLiveRegion().getMessage('polite')).toBe(`Nothing found. There's nothing here.`)
           })
           jest.useRealTimers()
         })
diff --git a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.tsx b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.tsx
index a83e4495773..00e6f7a4b71 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/SelectPanel/SelectPanel.tsx
@@ -30,10 +30,14 @@ import type {ButtonProps, LinkButtonProps} from '../Button/types'
 // we add a delay so that it does not interrupt default screen reader announcement and queues after it
 const SHORT_DELAY_MS = 500
 const LONG_DELAY_MS = 1000
+const EMPTY_MESSAGE = {
+  title: "You haven't created any items yet",
+  description: 'Please add or create new items to populate the list.',
+}
 
 const DefaultEmptyMessage = (
-  <SelectPanelMessage variant="empty" title="You haven't created any items yet" key="empty-message">
-    Please add or create new items to populate the list.
+  <SelectPanelMessage variant="empty" title={EMPTY_MESSAGE.title} key="empty-message">
+    {EMPTY_MESSAGE.description}
   </SelectPanelMessage>
 )
 
@@ -53,7 +57,7 @@ async function announceLoading() {
 }
 
 const announceNoItems = debounce((message?: string) => {
-  announceText(message ?? 'No matching items.', LONG_DELAY_MS)
+  announceText(message ?? `${EMPTY_MESSAGE.title}. ${EMPTY_MESSAGE.description}`, LONG_DELAY_MS)
 }, 250)
 
 interface SelectPanelSingleSelection {
@@ -231,11 +235,11 @@ function Panel({
     (node: HTMLElement | null) => {
       setListContainerElement(node)
       if (!node && needsNoItemsAnnouncement) {
-        announceNoItems()
+        if (!usingModernActionList) announceNoItems()
         setNeedsNoItemsAnnouncement(false)
       }
     },
-    [needsNoItemsAnnouncement],
+    [needsNoItemsAnnouncement, usingModernActionList],
   )
 
   const onInputRefChanged = useCallback(
@@ -350,7 +354,7 @@ function Panel({
     if (open) {
       if (items.length === 0 && !(isLoading || loading)) {
         // we need to wait for the listContainerElement to disappear before announcing no items, otherwise it will be interrupted
-        if (!listContainerElement || !usingModernActionList) {
+        if (!listContainerElement && !usingModernActionList) {
           announceNoItems(message?.title)
         } else {
           setNeedsNoItemsAnnouncement(true)
@@ -821,6 +825,13 @@ function Panel({
             // hack because the deprecated ActionList does not support this prop
             {...{
               message: getMessage(),
+              messageText: {
+                title: message?.title || EMPTY_MESSAGE.title,
+                description:
+                  typeof message?.body === 'string'
+                    ? message.body
+                    : EMPTY_MESSAGE.description || EMPTY_MESSAGE.description,
+              },
               fullScreenOnNarrow: usingFullScreenOnNarrow,
             }}
             // inheriting height and maxHeight ensures that the FilteredActionList is never taller