By a business correspondent
The Australian stock market opened Thursday on a downward trend, with the ASX 200 index falling by 0.8% to reach 8,716 points. The Australian dollar experienced a slight increase, rising by 0.1% to trade at 69.37 US cents. In the U.S. markets, the S&P 500 dipped by 0.3%, while the Nasdaq Composite saw a modest gain of 0.3%. Meanwhile, European markets faced declines: the FTSE dropped by 1.7%, the Stoxx 600 fell by 1.6%, and the DAX experienced a significant decline of 2.2%. Gold prices remained steady at $4,080 per ounce, oil prices held flat at $78.02 per barrel, and coal prices increased by 1.4% to $99.25 per tonne.
Consumer advocacy groups are urging the government to enhance the Triple Zero emergency call system immediately, rather than waiting for the completion of a scheduled review. Carol Bennett from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network highlighted that there are pending bills in parliament that could prompt quicker action, including the Enhancing Consumer Safeguards Bill, which seeks to strengthen regulatory penalties and authorities. Additionally, the proposed Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation legislation aims to establish vital safety measures for consumer connectivity and reliability.
Queensland’s Health Minister expressed dissatisfaction with Telstra, stating, “Telstra has some questions to answer.” He noted discrepancies in the information provided by the company regarding missed emergency calls, leading to concerns about the functionality of the callback system. This statement follows confirmation from Queensland Police that some emergency calls in the region failed to connect.
A spokesperson for Triple Zero Victoria acknowledged that the telco outage had affected emergency call services in the state. They assured the public that emergency calls were still being received and dispatched to relevant agencies. They reported additional notifications from Telstra regarding difficulties in connecting to the Triple Zero service, bringing the total number of affected calls to a concerning level. Police communications officers have conducted welfare checks on those who could not connect, with no significant adverse events reported at this time.
On the stock market, Telstra’s shares saw a slight increase of 0.3%, reaching $4.93 per share, although they remain lower compared to the previous week’s trading results.
Train services connecting Sydney and the Southern Highlands continue to be disrupted, with buses replacing trains for a second consecutive day due to the Telstra outage. Judy Hannan, the state representative for Wollondilly, remarked on the fragility and unreliability of regional rail services, suggesting that alternative communication methods may need to be reconsidered.
Telstra’s media team reported that they have made progress in reducing the occurrence of the Triple Zero calling error by approximately 90% and continue to work towards completely resolving the issue. They advised anyone experiencing difficulties with the emergency number to retry their calls, as many have been successful on subsequent attempts.
As the trading day progresses, the Australian share market remains in the red, currently down 0.9% at 8,710 points, with all major sectors declining except for a few. Updates from the Queensland Police indicated that multiple emergency calls, including some from people who no longer needed assistance, failed to reach the Triple Zero service during the Telstra outage.
Superintendent Brook Dwyer reported that police dispatched units to several individuals who could not be contacted, although one caller was later located while on holiday in Victoria. Telstra acknowledged a secondary issue that continues to impact the network but reassured the public that services are being restored and welfare checks are being conducted for those unable to reach emergency services.
