Time to ReWire Australia’s Emergency Services: Telstra’s Responsibility for Triple Zero is a Ticking Time Bomb

A recent Senate inquiry report has sparked a mix of outrage and relief after recommending that Telstra no longer oversee Australia’s emergency services hotline, Triple Zero. The proposal comes in response to catastrophic outages in 2025, which left millions of Australians without access to vital services.

The inquiry’s findings are not surprising given the repeated failures of Australia’s telecommunications network. A September 2025 Optus outage linked to two deaths highlighted the consequences of neglecting infrastructure and regulation. Successive governments have failed to ensure that regulations keep pace with technology, a damning indictment of the current system.

The Telecommunications Act 1997 is outdated legislation unable to cope with the rapid evolution of telecommunications. This has left Australia’s emergency services hotline vulnerable to outages and disruptions. The inquiry recommends establishing a new statutory authority to oversee Triple Zero calls, a welcome step towards creating a more robust and reliable system.

However, accountability within Telstra also needs addressing. The company has been accused of prioritizing profits over people, with devastating consequences. Senator Hanson-Young stated, “Telstra, Optus and TPG have all let down their customers and the Australian public.” A change in leadership and accountability is long overdue, rather than just tinkering with the system.

The report’s recommendation to introduce text-based methods of contacting Triple Zero is also overdue. In an era where SMS and messaging apps are common, it’s astonishing that this basic functionality has been overlooked for so long. Mandating domestic roaming for calls and messaging is another crucial step towards ensuring Australians can access emergency services no matter where they are in the country.

The proposed changes signal a fundamental shift in how we approach regulation and accountability. It’s time to move away from private companies being entrusted with public responsibilities and towards a more transparent and accountable system. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has shown it’s willing to take on big players, suing Optus for its role in the 2025 outage.

Australia’s emergency services hotline needs a complete overhaul. We must make our emergency services system more resilient, reliable, and responsive to Australians’ needs. The Senate inquiry report provides a roadmap for change; now politicians and regulators must act with urgency and vision.

Implementing these recommendations will require balancing regulation, innovation, and accountability. But one thing is certain – the status quo is no longer tenable. Australia needs a modernized emergency services system that prioritizes people over profits. The time to act is now.