Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025

Senator SHOEBRIDGE (New South Wales) (13:07): It's my understanding that the Foreign Investment Review Board had an obligation to review the capacity of Optus to see whether it could provide these essentials services. There may well have been—we don't know—conditions or requirements imposed by the FIRB at the time when the decision was approved, admittedly by the former coalition government, to allow the purchase.

Obviously, whether or not Optus has complied with prior conditions and has complied with prior or existing requirements of the government is relevant to our decision as to whether or not putting yet more conditions in is going to be adequate for the task. You would have heard, Minister—through the chair—the very real concerns that at least our party, the Greens, have about allowing an essential service like this to be owned and operated by Optus.

We had those concerns when Optus purchased it in 2005 or so. Those concerns remain. Through you, Chair, the minister asked why it would be relevant whether or not Optus had agreed with conditions previously put on them—if those conditions had been imposed.

It's because we don't trust them. We don't believe them. We don't think they have the Australian public's interests at heart.

We don't think that they have a genuine, good-faith commitment to keeping Australians safe, and we don't think they comply with basic fundamentals put to them. Obviously, we'd like to know if any of that was tested when the Foreign Investment Review Board considered giving them ownership. Again, through you, Chair, we would ask for the questions that my colleague put to be answered.