Anika Wells ridicules Angus Taylor and Barnaby Joyce for linking Telstra outages with China

Kristy McBain criticises shadow communications minister Sarah Henderson for ‘testing’ Triple-zero system during major network blackout

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The communications minister, Anika Wells, has accused Barnaby Joyce and Angus Taylor of “going off half-cocked” by raising without evidence the prospect of China having been behind the major Telstra outage affecting millions of Australians nationwide.

The federal emergency management minister, Kristy McBain, also criticised the shadow communications minister, Sarah Henderson, after the Liberal senator said she had “tested” the triple-zero system by making unnecessary calls to the emergency line – which carries a criminal penalty.

Henderson rejected suggestions she had breached the law, which she claimed was about “hoax” calls, but McBain said “the last thing we need is anyone making test calls to triple zero”.

“We teach our kids not to prank call triple zero, and I think it is absolutely outrageous that the shadow communications minister has been making test calls to triple zero.”

Telstra blamed an issue with a time-keeping server for a major outage where thousands of mobile customers were unable to make calls or access data. The telco, which powers about 25m mobile services nationwide, confirmed the outage on Wednesday, with 90% of services restored after 10am AEST, but the outage also affected some triple-zero calls, and services that relied on mobile internet coverage such as train networks and electric vehicles.

On Wednesday evening, Telstra’s CFO, Michael Ackland, said the network issues had been fully resolved and were not the result of a cyber incident.

Wells, who had been on leave, returned to work to respond to the crisis. She revealed the federal Triple Zero Custodian – set up after the 2025 Optus outage which saw multiple deaths when callers couldn’t reach emergency services – had advised Telstra the outage meant some callers were unable to connect.

Wells said welfare checks were being conducted on people who had been unable to reach triple zero, and that they would demand an explanation from Telstra about the outage. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will review the incident.

“All telcos, including Telstra, have strict requirements in relation to welfare checks for disconnected triple zero calls, and the Triple Zero Custodian is in regular communication with Telstra to receive updates on the progress and outcomes of these checks,” she said.

Henderson demanded the government direct Acma to report on the outage within seven days, instead of undertaking a long-running inquiry, in order to enact interim measures to avoid future outages and obtain immediate answers. The Liberal senator also called for bolstered mandatory standards and “appropriate penalties” for telco providers.

Wells would not comment on whether Telstra should pay compensation to customers, but said the company must “make things right”.

“Telcos are the least-trusted industry in our country as we stand today, and days like today demonstrate exactly why Australians feel that way,” she said.

In a press conference on Wednesday morning Taylor questioned whether there was a connection to the Chinese missile test in the Pacific this week . Telstra, Anthony Albanese and Wells have all said they have no such evidence of malicious activity, but the opposition leader claimed it was among the “many questions Australians are asking”, despite offering no evidence to support the claim.

“We saw a provocative and unwelcome missile launch from the PLA yesterday, and I can understand why Australians are drawing that connection. Now, I don’t know whether there’s any connection or not, I have no idea. But it’s no wonder Australians are starting to ask questions like that,” he said.

Joyce also raised similar questions without evidence.

“I don’t want to be paranoid or a conspiracy theorist, but we know there is the capacity for China to affect that sort of software and that sort of network,” the One Nation MP told Sky News.

Wells would not say whether agencies like the Australian Signals Directorate were investigating, but said she’d spoken with home affairs minister Tony Burke – who has carriage of intelligence agencies – and was “reassured by his answers”.

“As of today, there is no current evidence to suggest that is the case, apart from two parliamentarians going half-cocked,” she said.

Asked about Joyce’s comments specifically, Wells responded: “As a general principle, I think when it comes to matters of national security, you shouldn’t make stuff up … I think it’s irresponsible.”

Henderson told Sky she had “tested it myself” by calling triple zero during the outage. She added that Telstra had advised customers not to test the system.

“I had a couple of failed calls this morning because, obviously, I needed to know if triple zero was working and that appears to be rectified.”

Henderson later pushed back on McBain’s criticism of her actions in a statement, saying: “It is my job to hold the government and the telecommunications carriers to account on critical services such as the operation of the triple-zero network.”

“I called triple zero twice initially, and when these calls did not connect, I immediately notified a senior Telstra representative,” she said.

“I am not going to apologise for doing my job and it is time Anika Wells focused on doing her job a lot better than she is right now.”

In an ABC TV interview, Henderson strongly denied that she’d broken any laws by placing test calls, labelling such suggestions “ridiculous”. She also said she hadn’t asked any staff to place similar calls.

Asked about Henderson’s calls, Taylor shrugged off the issue but also encouraged Australians not to use triple zero unnecessarily.

“There are questions that need to be answered from the government, and they haven’t been answered, and this is why people are trying to understand the situation … In the absence of answers, we’re going to see all sorts of ideas as to what’s really going on,” he said.