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Optus Hit by New Triple Zero Failure in NSW as Government Demands External Accountability

The government is pressing Singtel and Optus to accept outside oversight during ongoing investigations into an earlier breakdown linked to three deaths.

View of an Optus shop in Sydney, Australia November 8, 2023. REUTERS/Kirsty Needham/File Photo
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People walk past an Optus store in Sydney, Australia, September 29, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams

Overview

  • Optus restored service after a Dapto mobile tower fault on Sunday disrupted calls from about 4,500 customers between 3:00am and 12:20pm, with nine failed Triple Zero attempts reviewed.
  • NSW Police conducted welfare checks and Optus says all people who tried to reach emergency services are okay, including one caller who needed an ambulance and used another phone.
  • Optus is investigating the tower issue, and consumer advocates highlighted the apparent failure of the ‘camp‑on’ emergency call failover that should route calls via another network.
  • The incident follows a September 18 firewall‑related outage that blocked about 600 emergency calls across multiple states; CEO Stephen Rue cited human process errors, ACMA is investigating, and Kerry Schott is leading an independent review.
  • Communications Minister Anika Wells met Singtel’s Yuen Kuan Moon and Optus leaders, requested an external accountability partner, signalled significant consequences, and said the government will fast‑track a Triple Zero custodian role.