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The CEOs of Australia’s big three telcos have been summoned to Canberra to give assurances they can comply with a new suite of safeguards for the triple-zero emergency network.
From 1 November, telecommunications companies will be required to provide real-time updates on any outages to emergency services, the communications watchdog Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and the government.
On Saturday, Communications Minister Anika Wells wrote to embattled Optus CEO Stephen Rue, Telstra CEO Vicki Brady, and TPG CEO Iñaki Berroeta to request meetings in Canberra on Tuesday, seeking assurances the operators will be able to meet their legal obligations and avoid further outages.
“With Australia’s disaster season approaching, telecommunications providers play an important role. People must have trust in the reliability of our triple-zero service when they need it most,” Wells said in the letters, seen by SBS News.
“Despite this, outages have occurred and more needs to be done by telecommunications companies,” Wells wrote.
She has directed ACMA to lead an investigation into Optus’ compliance with emergency systems, while the Singaporean-owned telco has appointed former investment banker and NBN Co board director Kerry Schott to lead its own inquiry, conceding there have been “unacceptable” failures.
The establishment of a ‘Triple Zero guardian’ to provide independent oversight of the emergency system was a key recommendation of the review into a 2023 Optus outage that affected all customers for twelve hours, during which over 2,000 triple-zero calls failed to get through.
In April 2024, the government labelled the role a “priority recommendation” but flagged further consultation.
After a year and a half, the position is not yet in full function, as the necessary legislation remains pending.
“Australians should be asking very serious questions of this minister,” Opposition communications spokesperson Melissa McIntosh told Sky News, calling for an independent investigation into the adequacy of the entire triple-zero system.
“Now we’re looking in the closing days of parliament for the year, but there’ll be rushed legislation because she didn’t act and the government didn’t act earlier,” she said.
On Sunday, Industry Minister Tim Ayres rejected claims that the protracted government response leaves it with some responsibility for the deadly outages.
“The minister’s been working on those questions, and the previous minister has been working on those questions; that is all of the architecture that the government has committed to delivering,” he told Sky News.
“But in the end, this is Optus’ failure, and it’s a devastating failure for Australian families who just expect triple zero to deliver.”
