Transcript - ABC Radio Newcastle Breakfast - 6 November 2025

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

6 November 2025 

Transcript 

ABC Radio Newcastle Breakfast with Paul Culliver (prerecord)

Topics: Optus outage; Triple Zero network; Triple Zero Custodian; Triple Zero public register.  

E&EO … 

Paul Culliver

During the AM program did prerecord an interview with our Shadow Communications Minister federally and I wanted to mention that because I don't think it materially changes anything we talked about. But some of that Optus information did come to hand since we recorded that interview just a short time ago. Nonetheless, I started off by talking to Melissa McIntosh, the Federal Communications Minister, about what her reaction was to the news of the Optus outage.

Melissa McIntosh

It was ‘not again’. This is what I've been warning of and hoping wouldn't come and I'm glad that the service seems to be back and operating. But I called for an independent investigation into the whole Triple Zero ecosystem which would include infrastructure. It's a little bit mind blowing that it seems to have been something maybe malicious, but on one tower.

What - I don't want to be alarmist, but what would happen if that occurred across multiple pieces of infrastructure in our country? What are the protections that are in place? So I do have concerns. We had limited information yesterday but I hope everyone that needed the Triple Zero service are okay.

Culliver

Well, yeah, so on that, is it fair to bundle this in with the other previous outages and the woes that the Optus network has been facing in recent months given that there clearly was this malicious third party actor someone and that police are continuing to investigate. But someone has engaged in vandalism here.

McIntosh

Of course it's fair. This is critical infrastructure and there's obviously a weakness. If vandals can damage infrastructure that results in people not being able to call our Triple Zero service, that's raising alarm bells. What protections are in place?

That's why I - as one of the amendments I made when the legislation was coming through Parliament was to have the Triple Zero network listed as critical infrastructure. So those extra security measures are in place. But it is just one thing after the other. We need a public outage register. This is another thing I've been pushing really hard and the government doesn't want to do that. They're just pushing it back on the telcos to promote when they have an outage.

Australians need to see what's going on with our telco networks. I think it's really important. This just shows once again that the issue is not over. It really is and it's just scratching the surface, and many people were without that service yesterday. Let's continue to get to the bottom of it. I think Australians deserve that.

Culliver

Alright, so what would a public outage register look like? How would that work?

McIntosh

There's a Custodian that is overseeing - it's quite a complex - probably bore your listeners to hear about it. A Custodian, the Department of Communications and they would have the authority to have a public register. Let's have it run by government. We rushed this legislation through. There were recommendations to have a Custodian a year and a half ago and the Communications Minister sat on those recommendations and it's been very unclear as to why she waited until the first disastrous outage to do something about it. So put it back onto the Custodian, get them to do some work on this. And having a public register of all outages will give greater transparency and people can see what's going on with each and every telco as it's happening. Not hearing about it, you know, occasionally. It seems like we're hearing about it more now because there's more focus on what's going on. But Australians have a right to know.

Culliver

Okay, so yeah, I just really want to drill down on that. So it would be what, a live website that in real time reports when there are outages and provides information to those that are wanting to find that information. I just want to understand exactly what the function would be.

McIntosh

That would be one way it could be done. The government’s chosen not to do that. They're asking the telcos to put it on their website individually. But that doesn't give you an overview of the whole Triple Zero ecosystem and what's going on across the whole system in the country. I think it would be a really good thing to do for people to be able to see that and for there to be transparency. And it helps them make decisions about which provider is doing better or which provider they should go with and if their providers are not doing the right thing. But this is just part of it. Our Triple Zero network needs to be strong, it needs to be reliable, and people need to have confidence in it.

Every one of these outages, doesn't matter if it gets this one gets excused as, you know, somebody tampering with the infrastructure. Well, that's not good enough either. Why can people get access to our critical infrastructure so easily to do that? And what protections are in place across the country, so it doesn't happen on a larger scale? Because it's a security issue for infrastructure as well.

Culliver

What's the limit then? What's the balance when it comes to trying to plan for every eventuality? Backups on backups. Potentially gold plating our communications network to account for potential malicious action.

McIntosh

Well, I wish it was gold plated. The Triple Zero outage that resulted in, sadly, people dying about seven weeks ago was human error. So there's nothing gold plated about, you know, somebody not doing their job right and then Optus excuses that one is human error, this one as someone tampering. So still doesn't make it right.

We want to know, I'm sure I hope it comes up in the Senate inquiry that we have at the moment questions again about the security of our critical telecommunications infrastructure right across the country because people need to rely on if one goes out that's one community but if multiple go out then the whole country can be potentially impacted.

So I think it is worth putting the pressure on not just dismissing this as a one-off event but looking at as I said the whole Triple Zero ecosystem including infrastructure, including the processes within these big telcos because they do have the profits to be investing in infrastructure and in better processes.

Culliver

Melissa McIntosh, really appreciate your time today.

McIntosh

Thank you, thank you.

Culliver

Melissa McIntosh is the Shadow Minister for Communications federally. Recorded that interview a short time ago.