Portfolio — 18 March 2026

The Minister for Sport and Minister for Communications, Ms Wells, announced a comprehensive review of Triple Zero regulations, responding to systemic vulnerabilities exposed by recent telecommunications outages and the national shift to mobile-first emergency calling [TA-260318-infras-415f92eef7c9]. The announcement represents the portfolio's most significant structural intervention in the emergency call system to date, tying together lessons from multiple network failures into a single reform trajectory.

**Review scope and drivers**

The Triple Zero Custodian will lead the review, examining all legislation and regulations governing the emergency call system. The review draws explicit lessons from the Optus outages of 2023 and 2025, the 3G network switchover, and device-specific failures [TA-260318-infras-415f92eef7c9]. Ms Wells framed the review as necessary because mobile devices now account for approximately 85 per cent of Triple Zero calls, a shift the current regulatory framework — built on a fixed-line legacy model — does not adequately address [TA-260318-infras-415f92eef7c9].

**Timeline and interim measures**

A final report with recommendations for a modernised framework is due by March 2027. The Custodian will continue implementing immediate changes during the interim period [TA-260318-infras-415f92eef7c9].

**Bean Review and broader reform context**

The initiative delivers on Recommendation 18 of the Bean Review into the 2023 Optus Outage. It builds on reforms already underway, including increased penalties for telcos, new network fallback requirements, and the development of public outage registers [TA-260318-infras-415f92eef7c9]. Separately, recruitment has begun for a full-time Australian Communications and Media Authority member dedicated to public safety, intended to strengthen proactive monitoring and oversight [TA-260318-infras-415f92eef7c9].

**Synthesis**

The announcement signals a portfolio-wide intent to move Triple Zero regulation from a fixed-line paradigm toward a mobile-reliability framework. The review's two-year horizon, combined with interim Custodian actions and the ACMA appointment, positions the government to address both immediate vulnerabilities and longer-term structural reform in one coordinated sequence.

No parliamentary sitting occurred on 18 March 2026, so the media release stands as the sole record of ministerial activity for this window.