More than a year after a catastrophic nationwide Optus outage left millions of Australians stranded and unable to contact emergency services, a flagship government safeguard promised in the wake of the crisis remains a ghost operation, The Guardian can reveal.
The so-called 'Triple Zero Custodian'—a dedicated watchdog pledged by the federal government to monitor emergency call systems and prevent a repeat of the November 2023 blackout—has yet to be staffed or become operational, despite assurances it would be a top priority.
A Promise Unfulfilled
In the blistering aftermath of the 14-hour network failure, which disrupted everything from hospital communications to train lines and businesses, the government vowed to establish a powerful new guardian for the triple-zero service. This entity was meant to provide independent oversight and ensure no Australian would ever again be cut off from life-saving emergency assistance.
However, an investigation has found that the custodian exists in name only. The position has not been filled, and the office lacks any staff or operational capacity, raising serious questions about the government's commitment to safeguarding the nation's critical emergency infrastructure.
Lingering Vulnerabilities Exposed
The revelation means that Australia's emergency call system remains vulnerable to a repeat of the Optus debacle, which was one of the largest telecommunications failures in the country's history. The outage was a stark reminder of the nation's reliance on a handful of major telecom providers and the fragility of its critical networks.
"This is a profound failure of follow-through," said a source close to the communications regulator. "The custodian was the central pledge, the key reform. To have it sitting empty over a year later is inexplicable and leaves everyone at risk."
Government Under Fire
The delay is likely to draw fierce criticism from opposition parties and consumer advocacy groups, who had welcomed the government's initial response but now accuse it of negligence. With the custodian still not in place, there is no independent body specifically tasked with continuously monitoring the performance and resilience of the systems that carry emergency calls.
This news will do little to reassure a public whose trust was severely shaken by the Optus outage. It underscores a troubling gap between political promises made in a crisis and the bureaucratic reality of implementing meaningful change.
