Transcript - 6PR Breakfast - 3 November 2025

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

3 November 2025 

Transcript 

6PR Breakfast with Millsy and Karl

Topics: Optus inquiry; Triple Zero services; ACMA.

E&EO … 

Steve Mills

Melissa, thanks for joining us this morning. How are you?

Melissa McIntosh

Good morning. Thanks for having me on. I'm excited with anticipation that we're going to get some answers hopefully today about this crisis.

Mills

Who's appearing and why are they appearing and what do we expect to get out of it today?

McIntosh

I hope we get some answers for Australians. The Triple Zero outage that occurred on Optus’ watch six weeks ago resulted in people dying and we've got this inquiry today. The CEO of Optus and some of the executives will be fronting and it'll be a chance to ask questions on behalf of Australians. What exactly happened? Why did it happen and can you guarantee it won't happen again?

So, I really hope that we get to the bottom of that. I've been pushing for answers for weeks, including from the government and we'll also have ACMA, which is the regulator, appearing. I've said for a very long time that the regulator who is involved in the process breakdown should not be the investigator, and the government has appointed them to investigate the outage.

So, we've got lots of questions of them too. But ultimately this is about ensuring Australians can pick up the phone in their greatest time of need, call Triple Zero and have someone answer their call.

Karl Langdon

You might be able to answer this - there was another incident in the Kimberley over the weekend and that is the fact that someone wanted to ring Triple Zero but it didn't work. Should Triple Zero work anywhere in the nation?

McIntosh

Of course it should. I think everyone has …

Langdon

Even in isolated communities?

McIntosh

Well, if it was working and then it's not working, then there's a reason why it's not working. And that's what seems to have happened again here is that there's been some sort of failure and technology is moving along. We've now got satellites in the sky. Although I question, you know, whether we should have Australian satellites.

They're all foreign owned at the moment.

Langdon

Right, so you're telling our audience that no matter where you go in Australia, it's your belief that you can ring Triple Zero.

McIntosh

I think we should have that …

Langdon

No, no.

McIntosh

And I know that that's not the reality.

Langdon

Have we got that?

McIntosh

Well, we know that that's not - that's what I'm saying I'm working with my Nationals colleague at the moment, Anne Webster, and when she's going around the country, she's looking after Shadow Regional Communications. It's clear that that's not what's happening now. People are struggling to make those calls and that's why so many people are now relying more and more on satellites and that sort of technology.

But I think if Australians are customers of a telecommunications provider and they're paying money, they should be getting some form of service. And if it's not happening, then that should be our focus as government …

Langdon

Yeah, how long does this go for, Melissa?

McIntosh

As Opposition.

Langdon

How many days does this go for?

McIntosh

The inquiry?

Langdon

Yeah.

McIntosh

Well, it's going to be up to the Senators to sort of work out who needs to be interviewed, who needs to be pressured. I hope it's done quite quickly over the next, you know, weeks and then we get start getting some answers. But after today's appearance by Optus and the regulator, I think we should know a bit more information.

Langdon

All right, thanks for joining us so early this morning. Good luck.

McIntosh

Yeah, thank you.

Langdon

Melissa McIntosh there, Shadow Minister for Communications.