Matt Burnell (Spence, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Let me be absolutely clear. Optus has failed the Australian people. Optus is the reason we debated legislation today, and its failures are why we have expedited telecommunications reform. I will not be lectured by the moral grandstanding of those opposite in the chamber, trying to gain cheap political points while families are grieving—while a family in my own electorate is grieving; that loss has left a mark on our community and on me personally.

Let me be clear. This outage should never have happened, and it must never happen again. There is an unspoken understanding between Australians and their emergency services that, in their darkest hour of need, help will be only three numbers away. Optus, as one of Australia's largest telecommunications providers, had a clear legal and moral duty to ensure that emergency calls were carried through, regardless of commercial inconvenience. They failed, and Australians paid the price. Lives were lost, faith and trust were shattered, and communities were left to pick up the pieces.

The simple truth is this: Australians expect more; Australians deserve more. They expect accountability—real accountability, not corporate apologies after the fact by sheepish CEOs and not excuses in any capacity, but genuine responsibility by the heads of these corporations for the systems they control and have oversight of, and they are right to demand it.

That is why legislation has been moved by the Minister for Communications as a matter of urgency. The establishment of a Triple Zero Custodian and the new powers given to the Australian Communications and Media Authority by the legislation are incredibly important for Australians. The custodian will oversee the performance of the triple 0 ecosystem, identify risks, coordinate responses and demand accountability, because when every second counts, we cannot afford a system faltering through confusion or delay.

Combined with this, ACMA will have the power to issue binding directions to carriers, carriage service providers and emergency call persons—no more waiting, no more chasing and no more voluntary briefings after the fact. ACMA will be able to demand to demand answers immediately and direct corrective action on the spot.

These changes show that this is a government focused on positive change for Australians and a government determined to ensure that the failures of September 2025 are never repeated. These changes have mandated reporting and transparency, which is just the first step we're taking to ensure the public have confidence that their safety is being treated with the seriousness it deserves.

Every one of us in this chamber has a duty to the people we represent. For some that duty is about policy; for others it is about principle. But on this issue it's about people—people who trust us to ensure that the systems that protect them never fail, people who trust us to act not when it's convenient but when it's critical, and people who trust that, when they call for help, they will not be met with silence.

Triple 0 is more than a number; it is a promise between Australians and the services they need most. It is a promise that, no matter the hour, no matter the circumstance and no matter the location, help will be there. Optus has broken this promise to our constituents. Because of this, I stand firmly with the Minister for Communications in saying that Optus will be held to account. The trust of the Australian people is sacred, and it is our responsibility to restore this trust and then protect it with the legislation passed today. We're doing just that. We are taking those steps. We are saying with one voice that never again will a preventable outage take lives. We are saying that never again will Australians be isolated from emergency services in the time when they need them the most. We are saying that never again will silence stand between an Australian and the help they deserve.

We will continue to build a system worthy of the trust Australians place in it—one that is stronger, more transparent and unbreakable in the moments that matter most. The Australian government is standing up for Australians in all parts of the country and putting the work in to make sure that a telecommunications company like Optus never fails the triple 0 ecosystem ever again. (Time expired)

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