The Australian government is set to introduce legislation this week aimed at establishing a permanent watchdog for the country’s emergency call system, known as Triple-0. Communications Minister Anika Wells announced plans to present a bill to parliament that will create a Triple-0 Custodian, responsible for overseeing the emergency call systems operated by telecommunications providers. This move follows a significant outage experienced by Optus last month during a firewall upgrade, which was linked to three fatalities and disrupted Triple-0 calls across four states.
Under the proposed framework, the new watchdog will operate through the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and will have the authority to demand information from telcos. The establishment of the Triple-0 Custodian was one of 18 recommendations submitted to the government in March 2023, following a review prompted by a separate nationwide outage at Optus in November 2023. The Albanese Government had previously committed to implementing all 18 recommendations, with an interim Triple-0 Custodian set up administratively within the Communications Department in March.
In her statement, Minister Wells emphasized the importance of restoring public confidence in the Triple-0 system, stating, “We know Australians’ confidence in Triple-0 has been shaken, and it’s vital that it’s rebuilt.” She added that the new powers granted to the Custodian will facilitate more rigorous monitoring of this essential service, ensuring it meets the community’s needs.
The legislation is expected to bring about “end-to-end” oversight of the emergency call system, with the watchdog empowered to set performance requirements for telecommunications providers. As part of the newly proposed legal framework, leaders from Australia’s major telcos, including Telstra, Optus, and TPG, have been called to Canberra for meetings on October 7, 2024. These discussions will precede new legal obligations that will take effect from November 1, 2024.
The upcoming obligations include requirements for telecommunications companies to report outages to ACMA and emergency services in real time, conduct Triple-0 testing during system upgrades, and develop improvement plans following service disruptions.
In response to the government’s actions, Coalition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh criticized the Albanese Government for not acting sooner on the recommendations from the 2023 review. She remarked, “There were warning signs in 2023 when Optus had the first outage. No one died. People died this time. As I said, this is life and death.”
With the introduction of this legislation, the Australian government aims to enhance the reliability of its emergency call system, ensuring that such tragedies are avoided in the future. The move highlights a growing recognition of the critical role that telecommunications play in public safety and emergency response.
