Optus CEO Confesses to 'Culture of Carelessness' Before Fatal Triple-Zero Failure
Optus chief executive Stephen Rue has publicly conceded that a 'culture of carelessness' existed within the telecommunications giant prior to a catastrophic triple-zero outage that has been linked to two tragic deaths. The devastating system failure, which occurred on September 18 and lasted nearly fourteen hours, severely impacted hundreds of emergency calls across four Australian states and territories, preventing critical connections to lifesaving services.
Systemic Failures and Offshore Call Centre Errors
During a parliamentary inquiry held on Thursday, shocking details emerged regarding the cascade of failures that led to the prolonged outage. Offshore call centre staff repeatedly neglected to escalate urgent warnings from distressed customers who were unable to reach triple-zero services. The root cause was partially attributed to critical errors within Optus's outsourced network management team, which went undetected for hours.
It was only when a customer directly contacted Optus about the service disruption that the company fully grasped the severity of the situation. This delayed response highlights profound systemic weaknesses in the telco's emergency protocols and oversight mechanisms.
Major Overhaul and Up to 300 Job Cuts Announced
In response to the crisis, Mr Rue confirmed that Optus is preparing to eliminate up to 300 positions as part of a comprehensive company-wide reset. He emphasised that a significant transformation program is now underway, which includes repatriating some call centre operations back to Australian soil to enhance accountability and responsiveness.
'The transformation program is always going to take time, I'm afraid,' Mr Rue told the inquiry. 'But a key component of that is culture. It's culture and risk.' He acknowledged that the 'culture of carelessness' persisted even after a similarly massive outage in November 2023 that disconnected ten million customers and businesses, indicating deep-seated organisational issues.
Independent Review Exposes 'Unforgivable' Cultural Deficiencies
Kerry Schott, who conducted an independent review into the fatal incident, described the management failures as 'astounding' and directly blamed a 'culture of lack of care.' She revealed that when the outage was finally escalated to the call centre hours later, staff were already aware of the two fatalities and were 'extraordinarily distressed,' requiring over an hour just to calm down.
'The management of the call centre at that time was not adequate, and has since been changed, and was changed very quickly after this event,' Dr Schott stated. She characterised the failings as 'inexcusable' and 'unforgivable,' stressing that they 'must be fixed.' Her review produced twenty-one recommendations, all of which Optus has committed to implementing.
Operational Reforms and National Framework Considerations
Since the deadly blunder, Optus has initiated several corrective measures, including strengthening escalation processes, improving real-time visibility of triple-zero performance, and onboarding new onshore call centre roles. Dr Schott also criticised Optus's forty-page crisis management document as overly dense and impractical, recommending it be condensed into a clear checklist for staff during emergencies.
Mr Rue extended Optus's 'deepest sympathies' to the families and friends of the deceased, acknowledging that the tragedy 'weighs heavily on me and our board and on the people of Optus.' Meanwhile, the federal government has announced a review of laws governing the emergency services network.
NSW Ambulance Assistant Commissioner Brent Armitage advocated for a consistent national framework to address triple-zero network vulnerabilities, stating, 'It would be good to ensure that there's a consistent national standard that can be applied.' Greens communications spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young called for significant compensation for grieving families and maximum fines against Optus, accusing the corporation of prioritising profits over customer safety.
