Labor's guilt in the Optus failure

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/ If you enjoy 7am, the best way you can support us is by making a contribution at 7ampodcast.com.au/support. Socials: Stay in touch with us on Instagram Guest: Journalist and contributor to Crikey, Michael Sainsbury Photo: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.