Press conference on Triple Zero inquiry - 9 December 2025

Melissa McIntosh MP
Shadow Minister for Communications
Shadow Minister for Women
Federal Member for Lindsay

Tuesday, 9 December 2025

Transcript

Press conference – Penrith, NSW

Topic: Senate Inquiry into Triple Zero Optus crisis with new death revealed; Samsung devices failing to connect to Triple Zero; Social media ban; Age verification and Digital ID; Communications Minister Anika Wells’ travel expenses.

EO&E …

Melissa McIntosh

The Triple Zero network is in crisis, and the Minister for Communications is nowhere to be seen. She should be behind her desk. She should be addressing the Australian public. Instead. She's been at the UN, She's been in New York. She's been having lavish dinners. She's been at the Formula One. She's been at sporting events. She's been at the tennis holding up a comcar for seven hours, costing the Australian taxpayer $1,000. This is an emergency. We've heard today in the Senate Inquiry into the Triple Zero network that very sadly, there has been another death associated with the 3G network shutdown failure by the Albanese Labor Government. Weeks ago now, I declared that it was an emergency for Australians to ensure that they either download the software or upgrade their phone. What is really troubling, desperately troubling, is that this death happened in September. Telstra did not alert TPG until yesterday. Telstra says they did, however, alert ACMA the regulator and the Department of Communications on the 24th of September. Did the Minister know about this? You would think that her very own department and the regulator would inform her of a death due to a Triple Zero outage, or someone not being able to connect to Triple Zero in their greatest time of need. The Minister on the 24th of September was in New York. I said at the time, she should never have left her post during the Triple Zero crisis, and now she needs to front the Australian people to let them know what she is doing to address this serious issue. Once again, I'm calling for an independent investigation into the whole Triple Zero ecosystem: the telcos, the network, the infrastructure, and I think now ACMA, the regulator, who is clearly not doing its job. Where is the Custodian in this? There are so many questions, and no one is giving answers. There was a death in September. We are now in December. So I urge Australians once again, if you have a Samsung handset, we're hearing from Samsung today up to around 90,000 handsets may not be able to connect to Triple Zero. This is an emergency, and the Minister needs to act. Questions - I think I have Chloe first.

Chloe Bouras

Thank you, Melissa. How likely is it that the Minister was aware of his death?

Melissa McIntosh

Her very own department, the Department of Communications, we found out through the Senate inquiry today, was alerted on the 24th of September. Telstra, following the law and doing what it was meant to do, and ACMA, the regulator, was also alerted. It is their responsibility to then alert the minister. It would be extremely unlikely that they did not do this. The Minister, as I said at the time, was in New York doing her PR trip to promote the social media ban before it was even successful.

Chloe Bouras

And just considering that, there have been estimates, there have been inquiries, there have been meetings, what do you think of the fact that we haven't heard about this second death publicly until now in December?

Melissa McIntosh

It's extraordinary. It's actually unbelievable that we have had Senate hearings, we've had inquiries, and the department and ACMA have had opportunities to talk about this death. It's such as that... some people have lost a loved one. Somebody has lost their life because they were unable to connect to Triple Zero. How has this been kept quiet? And why has it been kept quiet? There are so many questions the Department, I believe ACMA is also up this afternoon, then they'll have to answer these questions. Because, as I said, it would be extremely unlikely that they would not alert the Minister to this.

Chloe Bouras

And just one final one for me, of effective [inaudible]

Melissa McIntosh

Many weeks ago now I declared that it was a matter of national safety. It was a matter of national importance, and I think now it is an emergency, and the government should be running a campaign. If we're talking about 90,000 handsets that need to have new software downloaded, that's a lot of Australians who could potentially not be able to call Triple Zero. And I believe there's thousands of people whose phones just will not work at all. A download of software will not work. These people are now walking the streets of Australia, they may think that their phones work on the 4G network, but if they need to call Triple Zero and the phone tries to connect to 3G, it just won't work. I think the Minister and the Prime Minister, in fact, need to front up to the Australian people and let the Australian people know just how, just how bad the situation is. How is it that Australians cannot connect poor triple zero right now, after this has been going on for months and months. Thank you, Samantha?

Samantha Dick

Hi there, Samantha from the ABC. You've criticised Anika Wells over her use of taxpayer money. Sky News is reporting that you brought your son to the Gold Coast for a Judo Championship. You attended Bathurst 1000; you brought your daughter to Melbourne during the election campaign. How is your use of taxpayer money different here?

Melissa McIntosh

I'm very happy to stack up my three claims for family reunion against the Minister's multiple, multiple claims for footy events, for the cricket, for theF1. Holding up a comcar for hours while she attended the tennis. It is one thing to reconnect with your family while you're working, it is another to take the Australian people for a ride, which is what this minister has done. For me in Queensland, my son was just diagnosed with type one diabetes. It's a life-threatening illness, and he joined me at that time, and we didn't know if he was able to compete in the judo championships. He stayed on after he helped me out. I didn't take a staff member. I saved money in that regard, and I paid for his flight home. When it came to Bathurst, it was upon the request of the Prime Minister that I attend that with him, with my son. And when it came to the Melbourne trip, it was upon the request of the Opposition Leader to attend with him because we were making an important social media announcement about protecting kids online. Every single day, I would be happy to stack up what I've done compared to the Minister, and the Albanese Labor Government's cabinet ministers. Over 200 claims by Senator Farrell, come on. That's a joke. It's time for the Prime Minister to say what he's doing. How is he showing leadership, when his ministers are clearly rorting the system?

Samantha Dick

Thanks for that, Melissa. And sorry to hear about your son's diagnosis. I just got one final one, and that is, did you think that these laws around the use of parliamentary these claims should be reviewed?

Melissa McIntosh

I think they should be reviewed because clearly, there's ministers, members of parliament, who are stretching the boundaries. They should not be for holidays. They should not be to have a date night or attend an event with your spouse. It is actually about reconnecting with your family while you're working. If that's not happening, I think there would be an expectation by the Australian people that these guidelines are reviewed and come in line with expectations. Thank you.

Andrea Bianco

Andrea from Seven News. Thank you very much. Just in relation to the travel expenses, particularly, should the Minister be sacked?

Melissa McIntosh

I think it's time for the Prime Minister to answer that question. She's a minister in his government. He is leading by example. There's a reason why he's known as Airbus Albo, and it seems like he doesn't have any control over what his ministers do when it comes to his own ministerial code of conduct. So yes, I think her position is in a questionable state right now, and I think the $1,000 comcar sitting idle while she went to the tennis for hours seals the deal.

Andrea Bianco

And just on another matter, if I may, we've really got only hours to go until the social media ban kicks in. Do you hold any concerns? Or what concerns do you hold rather in its administration?

Melissa McIntosh

We have always supported the intent of protecting kids online. It was a Coalition policy to have the under 16s social media ban. My concerns have grown over time. The government set the date for December 10, and they've done very little to ensure its success. The platforms have been dripped in. We know now that kids are migrating across from the major social media platforms to platforms that we probably hadn't heard of a couple of weeks ago. So they are not getting off social media. We know that the government has made zero, maybe, I can't even find the amount next to no investment in mental health organisations for young people. Yet psychologists across the country are warning parents that kids could experience some mental health issues. The government's done nothing in that regard. And we know, despite the minister declaring that I’ve been dog whistling, which is not the case, that people may be required to produce digital identification. The trials, when it came to the age verification trials, showed quite an extensive failure rate when it came to identifying age correctly. And the platforms themselves have said to me, if we can't verify somebody's age, they will be required to produce either their driver's license or their birth certificate. And this very private information is being stored offshore, in a data centre offshore. The Minister couldn't say in a press conference, and the platforms couldn't say how long that very personal information would be stored for and what would happen to it. So yes, I do have many concerns, and it's my job as a strong opposition to hold the government to account on its commitment to the young people of Australia and families. Thank you, David?

David Swan

Thanks very much, a couple of questions. Minister Wells has declined to appear at the Senate Committee hearing, saying she’s only accountable to the House, is that acceptable given that people have died? Secondly, do you think she should resign?

Melissa McIntosh

Thanks, David, the question was around the minister declining to appear before the inquiry. She was asked to do so because she's not appearing in front of the Australian public. She's not standing here. Yet again it's me, it's the opposition communication spokesperson letting Australians know about what's going on. So she's, you know, she's not accountable to the Senate. She's not accountable, apparently, to the Australian people. She's not accountable to the Australian taxpayer, it seems, because of her exorbitant expenditure. So she really does have answers that she needs to provide to the Australian people, to give people confidence in our Triple Zero network. They've lost confidence and she's done nothing, and I really am concerned that she may have very well known about this death that happened in September, yet she was in New York at the time. So perhaps it wasn't convenient for her to do anything about it. And regarding your question around resigning, well, how much does it take for someone to do something that doesn't stand up to expectations of Australia before the Prime Minister steps in and makes his position clear on that?

David Swan

Thank you.

Melissa McIntosh

Thank you, thanks everyone.

[ENDS]