The communications watchdog has opened a formal investigation into Optus after a 13-hour failure blocked about 600 triple-zero calls – now linked to three deaths.

The government is furious, calling it “completely unacceptable”, and warning of “significant consequences”.

But is it actually their fault too?

Today, journalist and contributor to Crikey, Michael Sainsbury, on what went wrong and how the government’s choices led to this disaster. 

You can read Michael’s reporting at https://www.crikey.com.au/2025/09/23/optus-000-outage-labor-blame/

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Guest: Journalist and contributor to Crikey, Michael Sainsbury

Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi