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

Mulholland supported the bill, drawing on her background in emergency services to emphasise the critical nature of reliable Triple Zero access. Mulholland argued that the reforms, including real-time reporting and mandatory testing, would future-proof the system against increasing disaster risks. Mulholland urged the opposition and crossbench to support the legislation without delay to ensure safeguards take effect by 1 November.

Hanson-Young welcomed the legislation but criticised the government for delaying action despite prior warnings about system vulnerabilities. Hanson-Young argued that the regulator had failed to hold Optus to account and that the company prioritised profits over safety. Hanson-Young called for stronger penalties, including criminal sanctions, to ensure corporations are held accountable for failures that risk lives.

Henderson condemned the government's handling of the outage and the delay in implementing recommended rules. Henderson called for a Senate inquiry to investigate the failures of Optus, the regulator, and the department. Henderson argued that the minister should appear before the inquiry and criticised the lack of transparency regarding when officials were notified of the outage.

Dowling supported the bill, arguing it restores public trust by establishing a dedicated custodian and empowering the regulator. Dowling highlighted the specific risks for regional areas like Tasmania, where network redundancy is limited. Dowling urged other parties to support the bill to ensure immediate protection for Australians rather than delaying for further inquiries.

Faruqi attributed the outage to the broader failure of privatisation and neoliberal policies that prioritise corporate profits over public safety. Faruqi argued that minor regulatory tweaks are insufficient and called for an end to the privatisation of essential services. Faruqi urged the government to embrace public ownership and accountability rather than relying on underfunded regulators.

Allman-Payne welcomed the bill but criticised the delay in regulating telecommunications companies. Allman-Payne highlighted Optus's history of inappropriate sales practices and its failure to pay corporate tax despite significant income. Allman-Payne supported Greens amendments to increase civil penalties and introduce criminal liabilities for corporate negligence resulting in harm or death.

Shoebridge argued that the outage was a policy failure resulting from decades of privatisation. Shoebridge criticised Optus for offshoring profits and paying zero corporate tax while failing to maintain essential services. Shoebridge supported the Greens' call for serious penalties and advocated for public ownership of digital infrastructure to ensure democratic control.

Hodgins-May described the bill as the bare minimum and linked the telecommunications failure to similar issues in the childcare sector. Hodgins-May argued that privatisation leads to predictable failures where profit motives override safety and care. Hodgins-May called for an end to self-regulation and corporate influence, urging the government to take responsibility for essential services.