Telco Chiefs to Face Government Over Triple Zero Concerns, Australians Detained in Gaza Allege Abuse, and Political Fallout Continues
The heads of Optus, Telstra, and TPG are scheduled to meet with the government to address concerns about the reliability of the Triple Zero system, particularly ahead of the upcoming bushfire season. Simultaneously, Australians detained by Israeli forces after attempting to reach Gaza are alleging physical and mental abuse. In political news, fallouts continue with Andrew Hastie's resignation and leaked submissions.
Telco Chiefs Summoned to Address Triple Zero Outage Fears
Following recent Optus outages and concerns regarding the resilience of the emergency call system, Communications Minister Anika Wells has summoned the CEOs of the nation's largest telecommunication companies. Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh has called for transparency in the meeting, urging Wells to publicly address the steps being taken to ensure the Triple Zero network's reliability. McIntosh criticized Wells' handling of the Optus outage, particularly noting her travel to New York during the crisis. "The minister said today she’s been losing sleep because of the Triple Zero disaster, but she was fine to fly to New York whilst Australians lost confidence in our most essential phone service," McIntosh stated.
Opposition Calls for Transparency and Action on Bean Review
McIntosh emphasized the need for swift implementation of the recommendations from the Bean review, which followed the 2023 Optus outage. She stated Wells "should have focused on implementing the recommendations from an inquiry 'instead of hopping on a plane across the other side of the world'." The Coalition is expected to challenge Wells' handling of the outage when parliament resumes.
Australians Detained in Gaza Allege Abuse
Supporters of Australians detained by Israeli forces after attempting to deliver aid to Gaza are reporting allegations of physical and mental abuse. Surya McEwen, one of the detained Australians, reportedly suffered a dislocated shoulder and had his head slammed into concrete, according to supporter Jess Mamone. McEwen’s mother, Jacinta McEwen, described the situation as "torture for trying to feed starving people."
An Australian spokesperson for the Global Movement to Gaza delegation alleged intimidation, sleep deprivation, and denial of essential medication. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has been contacted for comment and confirmed that officials from the Australian embassy in Tel Aviv are providing support to the detained Australians. DFAT has stated, "The Australian government has made clear to Israel our expectation that detainees will receive humane treatment in line with international norms."
Political Fallout: Hastie's Resignation and Leaked Submissions
Nationals Leader David Littleproud has defended Andrew Hastie's decision to resign from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley's frontbench, asserting that Hastie acted with integrity. "I think he is being honest when he’s saying that… [it’s] not to challenge the leadership, but because of the difference of opinion. And I think that takes courage in politics," Littleproud told Sky News. Littleproud also expressed skepticism regarding reports that former Liberal leader Peter Dutton blamed Hastie for the Coalition's election loss in leaked submissions.
Hume Condemns Leak of Dutton's Election Review Submission
Liberal senator Jane Hume criticized the leaking of Peter Dutton's submissions to the party's election review, calling it "very disappointing." She stated that the confidentiality of such submissions is crucial to ensure candor. Hume dismissed the notion that any single individual was responsible for the election loss, stating "It’s very disappointing to see that what is a confidential submission to a review has somehow become public," and "it was 'preposterous' to blame any one figure for the historic loss, saying it was 'never one person or one issue'".
