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Media Release - Optus cops major Triple Zero fine, must now put consumers first

ACCAN

ACCAN has today welcomed the decisive action by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in holding Optus to account and issuing a $12 million fine for risking the welfare of hundreds of consumers during the widespread outage of November 2023. This latest fine signals the need for the company and its new CEO, Steven Rue, to put consumers first in its business practices.

The ACMA has found that 2145 people attempted to reach Triple Zero services during the outage, which it described as ‘preventable’. Optus failed to follow up on the welfare of nearly 370 customers once the outage was resolved, as they are required to do.

ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett said, “We know that new rules which set standards for telco practices during outages are soon to come into effect. Thankfully, this may serve to prevent this occurring in future.”

“Triple Zero is a lynchpin of public safety, and the fine levelled at Optus is an important measure of accountability for companies who put consumer wellbeing at risk,” Ms Bennett said.

“I understand that Optus has also made important internal changes since the 2023 outage in relation to its emergency call and outage management.”

“We thank the ACMA for their thorough investigation and appropriate response in relation to this critical issue.”

“We acknowledge the considerable efforts of Minister Michelle Rowland, who has put in place important directions to ensure this does not happen again, established a Triple Zero Custodian Steering Committee and announced a community education campaign to help Australians build their resilience against future outages.”

“Under new leadership, Optus must now work to restore their relationship with Australian consumers. The 2022 data breach, 2023 outage and alleged misselling to vulnerable customers has seen them plummet to become the most distrusted company in Australia," Ms Bennett said.

ACCAN spokespeople are available for further comment on this issue.

About us:

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is Australia’s peak communication consumer organisation. The operation of ACCAN is made possible by funding provided by the Commonwealth of Australia under section 593 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. This funding is recovered from charges on telecommunications carriers.

Contact details:

Alec Bennetts
Mobile: 0409 966 931
Email: media@accan.org.au