Liberal Senator Kerrynne Liddle has stood by her claim that an elderly South Australian woman died as a result of the recent Telstra outage. The senator stated her office advised the woman's family to contact South Australia Police (SAPOL) after receiving information about the case, and the family subsequently engaged with the authorities.
Senator Liddle expressed disappointment with Police Minister Michael Brown, who she said questioned her integrity when she raised concerns about the reported death. "I am disappointed that the SA Minister for Police chose to front the media and question my integrity in this process," Liddle said in a statement. She emphasized her commitment to the family's privacy during the period of public attention surrounding the circumstances of the woman's death.
"Amid much public interest I prioritised the privacy of the family during this time. I stand with them," Liddle added.
The controversy arises from ongoing questions about whether the nationwide Telstra outage impeded access to emergency services, particularly Triple Zero.
On Wednesday, Senator Liddle's office reported a "tragic death following an apparent failure to connect to Triple Zero during a life-or-death emergency." She described the incident as a "devastating failure for their family" and stated that "No Australian should ever be unable to connect to Triple Zero when their life depends on it."
South Australia Police had previously indicated they were unaware of any fatalities linked to the outage. Communications Minister Anika Wells also noted that Telstra had not reported any deaths connected to disruptions in emergency call services. The Telstra network experienced a significant technical fault on Wednesday, affecting millions of Australians and disrupting calls, mobile data, and electronic payment systems.
Telstra later confirmed that approximately 300 Triple Zero calls were impacted by the incident, and the company was unable to re-establish contact with 79 of those callers after attempting call-backs. Senator Liddle also highlighted reports suggesting that some individuals continued to face difficulties reaching Triple Zero even after the initial outage had been resolved.
Minister Brown urged Senator Liddle to provide any information her office possessed to investigators and to cooperate fully with police inquiries. "Being a Member of Parliament is a special privilege," Brown stated. "If people are going to make claims publicly, they need to be able to back them up. If people make claims that involve our police, they'll need to co-operate with police when necessary."