MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS ANIKA WELLS:  This morning’s Telstra outage was widespread, has caused significant disruptions across the country and is deeply concerning. Telstra has advised that network services largely returned to business as usual, with only a small number of devices now still experiencing issues. Importantly, the core triple zero system remains operational with connected calls flowing as expected from carrier networks to the emergency call person and onto state and territory emergency services dispatchers. However, the Triple Zero Custodian has advised that some callers were unable to connect to the ECP, and that these are being now investigated by Telstra and welfare checks are in progress, as is required by the law. The Triple Zero Custodian is in regular communication with Telstra to receive updates on the progress and outcomes of these checks.

A reminder, if you do need to call triple zero and you can't get through, it is recommended that you use another device, a landline, or wi-fi calling. It is very important that people do not make test calls to triple zero, please only call triple zero if it is an emergency. The key priorities for today are to get people and small businesses back online and to ensure any welfare checks are completed urgently. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will then conduct a full investigation, and Telstra will need to account for how and why this outage has happened. Kristy.

MINISTER FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT, KRISTY MCBAIN: Thanks. I share the frustration of many Australians today. We know that there are school holidays in every jurisdiction, and this disruption has been incredibly disruptive to small businesses, but also to the plans of many holiday makers. The outage has had significant impact on transport networks, particularly in Victoria, where V-Line regional services are currently unable to operate. Emergency communications on our national freight network are down, so the Australian Rail Track Corporation has paused freight train operations. In New South Wales, the Southern Highlands Line and the Hunter Line services, which operate on the ARTC network, have also been impacted. Once communications are restored, it will take some time for the network to safely return to normal operations. I have been in contact with Minister King and we've also reached out to our Victorian colleague, Minister Spence, to offer any support needed. 

I have asked the National Emergency Management Agency to convene another national coordination mechanism meeting this afternoon. The NCM will include relevant Australian government agencies, state and territory agencies, and Telstra so there is a shared situational awareness and a coordinated response. This will support us to further understand the impact and the consequences of the Telstra outage on critical infrastructure. 

And can I just echo Anika's comments about triple zero. Our emergency services do a fantastic job responding to emergency calls when they are made. The last thing we need is anyone making test calls to triple zero. We teach our kids not to prank call triple zero, and I think it is absolutely outrageous that the shadow communications minister has been making test calls to triple zero at a time where we need to make sure that we are doing as many welfare checks as possible, and making sure that network is open to people in emergency situations. 

JOURNALIST: Ministers, how is it possible that in a modern economy like Australia an entire telecommunications company can effectively come down on the basis of two broken timers in call centres, one in Sydney and one in Melbourne?

WELLS: Well like you say, Andrew, the advice from Telstra at the moment is this is essentially a synchronisation issue, an issue between timed services, and it's for Telstra to explain why and how this occurred.  Consumers can rightly expect that they can call triple zero at all times and that system will work when they need it the most. And like Kristy says, it is incredibly frustrating for small business, particularly over school holidays, not to be able to make the most of their EFTPOS systems like today. And our colleague Minister Aly has already had a meeting with her counterparts in state and territories today to work with them on small business and getting to the bottom of it. 

JOURNALIST: But are you horrified by that? The fact that it is hanging by so little?

WELLS: With the Optus outage in September, I think we were all horrified when triple zero didn't work when we expected it to. This, in its nature, is a very different kind of outage. What happened in September was a triple zero outage where nobody knew triple zero was offline. This is a national outage, it's affecting lots of people, has affected lots of people across the country, but people know that. And our advice is that the camp-on arrangements through Optus, through Vodafone have been working. 

JOURNALIST: So Minister, on that, how many triple zero calls were made that didn't get through? How many- do we know if any triple zero calls were attempted that didn't migrate to other networks? And are there any fatalities associated with the event today? 

WELLS: Like I said just then, the camp-on arrangements are working. That's our best advice from Telstra as of when I spoke to the acting CEO Michael Ackland, just after 12:00. The numbers that he was giving me just after 12:00 were based on 10:25am numbers. There are about three dozen welfare checks that are still ongoing. As you'll remember from September, there's a system that happens here where Telstra tries to call these numbers that are dropped calls. If they're unable to get onto them, they pass those along to the territory and state emergency providers. So that's what's happened now, those states and territories are running down those welfare checks. As you’ll recall from September, sometimes that takes a while to process through, but Telstra will provide you with further updates as they get them. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, do you have confidence that Telstra can continue to act as the national emergency call person? Can they continue to operate as the ECP-

WELLS: I would probably like to reassure people at this point that the core system of triple zero has continued today. This is not what outage has occurred. The outage is essentially to Telstra's retail network. And as you would all know, there are a lot of customers and small businesses that have been upset by that across the nation today. 

People should be reassured that the triple zero core system continued, and that the overwhelming majority of triple zero calls have gone through. And that Telstra now, in conjunction with the Triple Zero Custodian who I've spoken to earlier today, are working through those remaining welfare checks. And the Triple Zero Custodian, I'll say now because I know one of you will ask, is keeping a detailed tick tock on who knew what when, who was advised of what when, because one of the improvements we wanted out of the Optus outage in September was to get a much better handle on that.

JOURNALIST: So there was meant to be an industry campaign led by you to address the issue of malfunctioning devices that can't camp-on, connect, to triple zero. We have yet another outage crisis, why have Australians seen so few ads about this issue?

WELLS: Well, what we have advised today is that the camp-on arrangements are working today. Camp-on has worked with Vodafone, with TPG, with Optus for Telstra customers that have not been able to get through. So this actually a demonstration of the improvements that you've seen washed through since we made those changes. 

JOURNALIST: The Government has been trialling a text to triple zero system but hasn't committed funding to it. Texts can be more resilient than calls. Is this now time, maybe, to look at committing funding to rolling out a text to triple zero option for all Australians? 

WELLS: We are always keen to examine any way that we can improve the fallibility of our triple zero system, but that is not, in essence, the nature of what has happened today. This is not a triple zero outage, this is a Telstra retail outage that has affected their customers right across the country. Telstra's advice that you've heard from Acting CEO Michael Ackland earlier today - and I understand that you will continue to hear from Michael as needed as he resolves the system - is that the camp-on arrangements worked and where the Triple Zero Custodian has any doubts about that, she's already investigating. 

JOURNALIST: But just on the actual substance of whether you think that pursuing this funding might be a good idea given we are obviously- the community is hyper-aware and concerned that when they hear of an outage, it might mean that triple zero is affected? 

WELLS: My absolute priority today is getting everybody back online, be it individual customers or small businesses, and getting to the bottom of those remaining welfare checks, which we do through Telstra and through state and territory emergency service providers. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, as you said, no triple zero outage, but at the very least, many, many, many thousands of people have been inconvenienced greatly by this. Train networks were affected, people weren't able to- we've heard reports people of not being able to charge their electric vehicles because of the Telstra- the issue. In a country where there's only a relatively small number of these large providers, do these sort of incidents give any sort of motivation to looking at how one company going down to take out such a large number of, let’s say, retail connections, you know, people's train journeys and that sort of thing? Like, what are some of the bigger sort of lessons that could be learned from your bigger responses?

WELLS:  I'd say that telcos are the least trusted industry in our country as we stand today, and days like today demonstrate exactly why Australians feel that way. It will be up to Telstra to make things right with their customers out of today. And it's up for me as a lawmaker to look at how we continue to improve the system. And I think some of the things that are evident today that you're experiencing are a demonstration of the improvements that we've made.

JOURNALIST: Minister, Telstra has already indicated that broken technology is the likely cause. What do you say to people like Barnaby Joyce raising the prospect of foreign interference, foreign actors being able to take out Australian telcos? 

WELLS: As a general principle, I think when it comes to matters of national security you shouldn't make stuff up. You have heard from the Telstra Acting CEO that there is currently no evidence to suggest that those things are the case, so I think it's irresponsible. 

JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister's copped some backlash recently for a podcast appearance on the Bush Deep podcast. Did you both- if I could get a response for both of you, did you think that the comments about women on that podcast were appropriate? And do you think that the Government needs to have a rethink of its new media appearances? 

WELLS: My absolute priority today, as we have customers still offline from a national outage from one of our national telcos is to get people back online as quickly as possible, to get small business back online as quickly as possible, get to the bottom of the dozens of welfare checks that we are awaiting news of from Telstra in conjunction with the Triple Zero Custodian. And I think Australians want me absolutely focused on that. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, just on those welfare checks, you said there's about three dozen ongoing. If the camp-on arrangements work, why were some of those calls dropped? And do you have any intelligence at this stage that there are people who needed medical care, emergency services of any kind, but didn't get those because of this?

WELLS: So, those were numbers provided to me by the Acting Telstra CEO. Those were his 10:25am numbers, he gave them to me at about noon. You would expect those numbers will have changed by now, so I'm reluctant to speak too specifically to them. He did commit to me that he will continue to provide you with updates, maybe even later this afternoon depending on how he can run those down. What was the second part of your question? 

JOURNALIST: If the camp on arrangements worked, why are you having to conduct these welfare checks? And was there anyone who needed emergency services but didn't get them that you know of at this time?

WELLS: So, there's a number of different ways that the camp-on arrangements work. The reason that we've both opened with, please do not test triple zero if you are not in a genuine emergency, is because, often, you can call triple zero, not get through the first time, try it again and get through. That would be an instance of a dropped call that needs to be investigated, but ultimately it will be resolved as non-actionable because the person got through on the second time. That's what happened in a number of cases. I'm reluctant to give you specific numbers because Michael Ackland will come back to you with further details on that. As is the right thing, Telstra has obligations to communicate with its consumers under the industry standard and that's what we would expect.  

JOURNALIST: Minister, I believe you’re aware of- are you aware of anyone who needed emergency services who hasn't got them? 

WELLS: I am not currently aware of any, but I rely on Michael Ackland as the acting CEO to provide me with that information. I would say that there will be any number of different situations. I would imagine there will be people that will have needed further support from emergency providers - off the top of my head, I think he named one to that end, so I don't want to rule it out. But I'm just really reluctant to give you specifics because you will be able to ask Telstra these questions as they clarify these for you. 

JOURNALIST: Minister, I understand you've returned from leave today to manage this. Is this the case? And what are you doing differently today as Minister compared to the Optus outage.

WELLS: Yes, I have returned from leave. I'll continue to monitor and act as the situation requires of me - I think any Australian would expect their Communications Minister to do that. I have benefited today from speaking with Clare Chapple, our Triple Zero Custodian. There is a number of different things that she operates now that we didn't have in September, that's what I'm saying when I speak to some of the benefits that are now improving our system as these outages that happen from telcos occur.

And I think being able to speak with Nerida, who's the Chair of ACMA and Clare as our Triple Zero Custodian, in conjunction with Michael, the Acting CEO - I've spoken with Minister for Home Affairs, I know you've spoken with some of our other counterparts, I've spoken with the Premier of Victoria - I think because of what happened in September, everyone is more cognizant of the need to be urgent, thorough and methodical, and that's what I'm seeking to do. 

JOURNALIST: You've said you've spoken to the acting CEO. Have you spoken to the CEO? And also, you conveyed your disappointment with what's happened here. What have you said to Telstra in these conversations? 

WELLS: I've been speaking with the acting CEO today, Michael Ackland. I understand that the CEO is on leave. Like I've said to you all, I think Australians expect a baseline of service when it comes to their telcos. There is a reason that telcos are the least trusted industry in Australia - it's days like today. It is on all telcos to improve their systems to make sure that Australians can rely upon them when they need them most. There are some improvements to the system. This is different nature in its outage than the Optus outage was in September.

But of course, I look forward to working with the Triple Zero Custodian and the Chair of ACMA as they complete more fulsome and thorough investigations. But at the moment, the priority is getting everybody back online, getting to the bottom of all those welfare checks that are still being carried out across seven jurisdictions.

JOURNALIST: Just one about the custodian, just picking up on what you said. Will the Government make public the tick-tock and any of the findings that ultimately the result in whatever investigation is going on there? 

WELLS: I would imagine we would. We did that in September. It's important that we improve the level of trust that Australians can have in our triple zero system in particular, but in our telco industry as part of our critical infrastructure system across the country. 

JOURNALIST: Just to follow up, you've said that they were irresponsible comments but can you confirm if the Signals Directorate is investigating any overseas calls of what’s occurred?

WELLS: I can't confirm that as the Minister for Communications - it sits in a different portfolio. What I can confirm as the Communications Minister is that Telstra says there is no evidence to suggest that is the case. And I think those parliamentarians should account for why they would behave so irresponsibly on a day where people just want their services back online, and while we are waiting for welfare checks to continue. 

JOURNALIST: Will this constitute a breach? 

WELLS: Well, what I would like to do is wait for the investigation to be completed by both ACMA and what we learn from the Triple Zero Custodian. I can tell you that both of those people are already in a preliminary investigation stage, and that everything we are doing is being tracked in order to get to the bottom of it - and that justice is served. And I think all Australians would expect that justice is served here. 

JOURNALIST: As Minister, did you ask them about whether there had been any evidence of malicious activity? It's one thing for them to give you assurance but, as we all know, telecommunications companies, according to the ASIO and other intelligence agencies, are high priority targets. Did you probe them as to that particular aspect of a possible outage?

WELLS: I spoke with my colleague, the Minister for Home Affairs, about this, and I am assured by his answers. And I'm sure that as we get more information, we'd be happy to provide that to you. But as of today, there is no current evidence to suggest that is the case apart from two parliamentarians going off half-cocked, to be honest. Sorry, you haven’t had a question yet so I’ll do you.

JOURNALIST: Minister, with regards to the ACMA inquiry, in an earlier inquiry of Optus they actually sent material through to them asking for approval before they submitted- dispersed it. What has changed now? I mean, what's changed that you're confident in ACMA's ability to investigate this?

WELLS: ACMA is the independent regulator. I can't speak to the tick-tock of what they did ahead of publishing a report but that, to me, is an entirely separate matter from the investigation that is already on foot, it's now in its preliminary stages. And it will occur as a result of such a significant outage that we find ourselves today. I think ACMA takes a lot of paint about its conduct as an independent regulator for communications and media - that's a right and rich and good thing in a democracy such as ours. But I have no reason to believe that Chair Nerida O'Loughlin wouldn't act with- I mean, I think she was appointed by the Coalition for one, and wouldn't act with anything but integrity in discharging her duties in this matter. 

JOURNALIST: One very quick one. Should Telstra be considering giving compensation to affected users? 

WELLS: Telstra should do the right thing by its customers, let's be very clear. But getting into the ins and outs of that should happen after we get to the bottom of how and why this occurred, and getting everybody back online and getting to the bottom of the outstanding welfare checks as we wait for news of that from the different jurisdictions first responders. Have a good afternoon.