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

Ms WATSON-BROWN (Ryan) (16:18): Triple 0 is one of our most essential services. If it doesn't work, people die—and that's exactly what's happened. The recent outage, the second in just a few years, caused at least three deaths.

Six hundred calls went unanswered. Optus pay no corporate tax in Australia, despite their $8 billion in revenue from Australian customers. This is an industry that's been privatised under the watch of Labor and the LNP, including privatisation of triple 0—an essential service.

The regulator, ACMA, has proven itself a toothless tiger. Thanks to our Greens amendment, we have tripled the penalties on telcos who fail to deliver triple 0 services to $30 million. This is just the first step.

We will keep fighting for much more and will hold Optus to account for their serious, deadly failures. Here is a message to all telcos: the parliament is keeping a close eye on you. You are meant to deliver an absolutely essential service, and it is not good enough for you to put your profits ahead of the safety of your customers.

Question agreed to.