The Coalition is calling on the Albanese government to urgently deliver mobile network reliability standards following today’s nationwide Telstra outage.
The collapse of Telstra’s mobile network caused chaos with payment systems, shut down train networks, and stopped some people calling triple zero.
At the time of writing, Telstra is advising that 90 per cent of its network has been restored.
While the Triple Zero core network is operational, Telstra has confirmed some people could not make an emergency call, and welfare checks are now being made.
The Coalition is alarmed that some calls to Triple Zero have again failed and that the government’s only solution is to refer this outage to the regulator.
“Telstra’s network is critical infrastructure, and it is incumbent on the government to do everything to ensure this type of outage does not happen again,” Senator Henderson said.
“It is alarming and distressing that some people could not make an emergency call in their time of need. How could this possibly happen again?
“There must be appropriate systems in place to safeguard the resilience of Telstra’s network.
“Anika Wells’ announcement of an Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) inquiry into the Telstra outage which could take many months is totally inadequate. Australians are still waiting for the outcome of ACMA’s inquiry into the Optus Triple Zero outage last September but all we have heard is silence.
“It took this minister two years to announce a review of the Triple Zero regulatory framework, as recommended by the Bean Review.
“The government must direct ACMA to urgently inquire into and report within seven days on the cause of the outage and what interim measures, if any, can be taken to avoid a future recurrence. Australians also deserve immediate answers about whether anyone has been impacted by the Triple Zero call failures.
“It is also incumbent on the government to deliver minimum mandatory standards governing the reliability, performance, and maintenance of our mobile networks with appropriate penalties, as advocated by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network.
“Time and time again, this minister has sat on her hands and not acted with appropriate urgency to ensure our telecommunications networks are fit for purpose,” Senator Henderson said.
Senator Henderson also hit back at the government over her discovery that some calls to Triple Zero could not connect.
“As the Shadow Minister for Communications and Digital Safety, it is my job to hold the government and the telecommunications carriers to account on critical services such as the operation of the Triple Zero network.
“After learning about the outage, my first concern was for the safety and wellbeing of Australians. I called Triple Zero twice initially, and when these calls did not connect, I immediately notified a senior Telstra representative.”
“After Optus’s failure to act when first advised of the Triple Zero outage last September, access to information about the operation of the emergency call network is critical.
“On behalf of the Coalition, I initiated the Triple Zero Senate inquiry because, like many Australians, I have very little trust in our telecommunications companies and the Albanese government’s management of the emergency call network.
“I am not going to apologise for doing my job and it is time Anika Wells focused on doing her job a lot better than she is right now,” Senator Henderson said.