Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Communications) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question. Members may be aware that Australian 3G networks are being switched over this year, and this impacts different devices in different ways. There are devices that rely solely on 3G, including 3G-only handsets, some EFTPOS machines and medical alarms. 3G-only handsets won't be able to make any calls after the switchover, and that will be apparent to users. The industry has been identifying and contacting customers with these devices.

However, there's also a subset of 4G handsets that use 4G for voice and data but are configured by the manufacturer to use 3G for triple 0 calls. Now, this category of handset is of more concern because it won't be apparent to users that their handset can't call triple 0 after the switchover; they'd only discover this during an emergency. My department has been seeking information on this issue, to determine the scale, the scope and the actions being taken by industry. I was recently briefed and learned that up to 740,000 devices may be impacted.

Based on this advice, and particularly the scale, I am not satisfied that adequate efforts have been made by industry to identify and inform their impacted customers. Immediate action is needed, and that's why I've tasked mobile operators with establishing a new working group so industry collectively acts to improve their customer and handset identification and public information on this matter. I've asked Telstra, Optus and TPG to give me their action plans by 25 March, and fortnightly updates, and I've told CEOs directly that consumers must have easier ways to check if their handset is affected.

The government takes this issue extremely seriously. We'll continue to monitor the switchovers. I note that options exist in law—including potential proposals to delay 3G switchovers, if that is in the public interest and subject to consultation processes.

Australians rightly expect the triple 0 service can be relied on when they need it. It's one of the most critical public interest requirements for mobile carriers. The industry is now on notice to resolve this as an absolute priority.

Telecommunications should enrich people's lives and support public safety. That's why we're investing over $2.2 billion to strengthen our networks, including mobile network resilience and much-needed technology upgrades to the NBN, enabling speed boosts and helping Australians to get more for what they pay on their telco bills. The government understands that telecommunication services are vital, and we're making it a priority to keep Australians safe, connected and informed.

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