Telstra CEO to face parliamentary inquiry over national mobile outage

Telstra's chief executive, Vicki Brady, is scheduled to appear before a parliamentary inquiry investigating a nationwide mobile outage that crippled emergency services and business operations. The incident, which also affected payment systems and train services in two Australian states, has prompted urgent scrutiny of the telecommunications giant.

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The truth is, Telstra, just like Optus, has put their profits ahead of public safety and public service for far too long, and the law allows them to.

The inquiry, initiated by The Greens, will hear testimony from a group of Telstra executives, alongside representatives from the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Department of Communications. Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens' spokesperson for communications, expressed strong criticism, stating that Telstra, like Optus before it, has consistently prioritized profits over public safety and essential services.

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We need better laws in place, stronger laws that protect the rights of the public, the rights of the consumer, and to force these companies to actually deliver a reliable service.

"The truth is, Telstra, just like Optus, has put their profits ahead of public safety and public service for far too long, and the law allows them to," Hanson-Young told reporters. She emphasized the need for stronger legislation to protect consumers and compel companies to provide reliable services. Hanson-Young also suggested that Telstra has offered only minimal compensation to affected customers and businesses, urging the company to take greater responsibility and provide automatic compensation for those impacted by the dangerous disruption.

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The company should be taking responsibility, and it should be offering automatic compensation to everyone who they put in a difficult and dangerous position.