Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to provide an update to the chamber on the outage impacting customers using fixed-line mobile and broadband services over the Optus network today. It goes without saying that connectivity is essential for Australians, which is why the impact of this outage on consumers, businesses and services, including hospitals and public transport networks, is very concerning. This morning, the Minister for Communications spoke to the Optus CEO and sought further information about when Optus expects services to recover. We understand the outage resulted from a technical fault, which Optus engineers have been working to resolve. Optus also advised in the last hour that some services are gradually being restored. The government has made clear to Optus that restoration of its network is a priority, and we will continue engaging with Optus as a matter of urgency.

It's also critical that Optus provides customers with proactive and timely updates on the status of the outage and what to expect. A key priority for the government is the Triple Zero service, which plays an essential role in keeping Australians safe. We've engaged with ACMA and the Triple Zero operator, Telstra, today. They will continue to work with Optus, along with other carriers, to support this service, and very shortly the National Emergency Management Agency will convene a meeting about it too.