Communications Minister Anika Wells is facing criticism over her lack of public response after a major Telstra outage left millions of Australians unable to make calls, use mobile data or complete electronic payments.
The telecommunications giant was hit by widespread network problems across the country on Wednesday morning, interrupting phone and internet connections, disabling EFTPOS terminals in cafes, taxis and retail stores, and prompting some businesses to shut their doors.
While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared before reporters soon after the disruption to condemn the failure, Wells — whose portfolio covers telecommunications and oversight of Telstra — remained on annual leave.
In her absence, a pre-scheduled Facebook post spruiking the government’s digital connectivity program went live, before her social media team removed it as the Opposition began pressing questions about why she had not spoken publicly on the outage.
Wells, who has previously been required to repay taxpayer-funded travel costs after breaching rules and has also drawn scrutiny for taking her husband to sporting events at public expense, is now under mounting pressure over her failure to address Australians while Telstra investigates whether any deaths occurred after some callers were unable to reach Triple Zero.
She eventually issued a response more than six hours after the outage began, following demands from Opposition Leader Angus Taylor that she cut short her leave and return immediately to manage the crisis.
‘The minister needs to front up and explain to Australians what has happened here,’ Taylor said.
‘She needs to explain what has gone on, why this has happened, and what they’re going to do to make sure it is fixed and that it never happens again.’
Under fire: Opposition Leader Angus Taylor called for Anika Wells (pictured) to return from leave and ‘front up’ following the Telstra outage. She was on leave on Wednesday
Wells shared a seemingly scheduled – and now-deleted – post about ‘strengthening connectivity’ post as the Telstra outage unfolded
Taylor said: ‘We keep seeing this minister fail. She failed last time. She didn’t front up and explain to Australians in a timely way what was going on.
‘It’s time for her to get real and explain to Australians what has happened here.’
A statement was issued on Wells’ behalf, by her media advisers, more than six hours after the outage was first reported. It is not known whether she has returned from annual leave, and she has still not spoken publicly about the outage.
‘The Triple Zero Custodian has advised that some callers were unable to connect to the ECP, and that these are being investigated by Telstra,’ a statement from Wells’ office said.
‘All telcos, including Telstra, have strict requirements in relation to welfare checks for disconnected Triple Zero calls, and the Triple Zero Custodian is in regular communication with Telstra to receive updates on the progress and outcomes of these checks.
‘The key priorities for today are to get people back online and ensure any welfare checks are completed urgently.
‘The Australian Communications and Media Authority will then conduct a full investigation, and Telstra will need to account for how and why this outage occurred.’
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Albanese is expected to attend tonight’s State of Origin decider in Brisbane alongside a delegation of leaders from the Pacific.
Anika Wells has previously come under fire for flying her lobbyist husband around the country at the taxpayer’s expense
Albanese said there was no evidence the Telstra outage was caused by hostile activity
It is not known whether Wells will attend with them in her capacity as Sport Minister.
The Daily Mail approached Wells for comment.
Telstra chief financial officer Michael Ackland told reporters earlier on Wednesday that there was no evidence to suggest ‘malicious activity’ had sparked the outage.
But he said the telco did not know the ‘root cause’.
Mr Ackland said he believed the outage might have stemmed from issues within Telstra-operated data centres in Sydney and Melbourne.
Some customers were unable to call Triple Zero as the outage unfolded, prompting Mr Ackland to be asked whether anyone had died after being unable to contact emergency services.
‘We have made welfare checks. I don’t have any information to share on that at this stage.’
Australians also struggled to access government services and make payments because verification codes sent by text message could not be received.
The outage also threw transport into chaos, with all regional train services across Victoria suspended on Wednesday morning and major rail lines in NSW disrupted.
Electric vehicle drivers were also affected, with some charging stations unavailable because of the outage.
In unfortunate timing, Telstra chief executive Vicki Brady is on holiday overseas. She has not commented on the outage.
‘Vicki is overseas at the moment and will be returning in the coming days,’ a telstra spokeswoman said.
‘Our CFO Michael Ackland is Vicki’s delegate and is managing the issue. Vicki has been briefed and kept updated throughout the morning. We’re making good progress on restoring services to full capacity.’
