**Communications Minister to Discuss Triple-0 Outages with Optus** Communications Minister Anika Wells is set to meet with Optus CEO Stephen Rue and Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon today to address recent triple-0 outages. These outages have raised serious concerns about the reliability of emergency services in Australia. The meeting comes in the wake of a significant outage on September 18, which has been linked to the deaths of three individuals. Additionally, another outage occurred on Sunday near Wollongong, resulting in nine failed emergency calls. Ahead of the meeting, Environment Minister Murray Watt expressed confidence that Wells would take a firm stance with Singtel. "I'm very confident that Anika will really lay down the law with the parent company, [Singtel], CEO," he stated. This escalation to the parent company underscores the seriousness of the situation. The Australian government has tasked the Australian Communications and Media Authority with investigating the outages. When asked about public trust in the triple-0 system, Watt acknowledged that Australians have valid concerns. He urged Optus to be transparent about what it knows regarding the outages. "I don't think it goes as far as people needing to lose faith in the system," he said. Greens leader Larissa Waters has called for a review of Optus' telecommunications license. She suggested that the minister has the authority to appoint an independent technical expert to assess Optus' capacity to handle emergency calls. In related news, Opposition Leader Sussan Ley expressed optimism about a potential peace deal in Gaza, following a 20-point plan proposed by the White House. Ley emphasized the need for humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza and for the dismantling of Hamas. The plan, which emerged from discussions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, aims to encourage Palestinians to remain in Gaza and facilitate the release of hostages. Ley questioned whether the Prime Minister had prior knowledge of the agreement. Former Australian ambassador to Israel, Dave Sharma, described the plan as the most comprehensive since the conflict began. He noted that Hamas may face challenges in agreeing to the terms, as it would require them to accept significant concessions. As the situation develops, both the triple-0 outages and the peace efforts in Gaza remain critical topics of discussion in Australian politics today.
Minister to Address Triple-0 Outages with Optus Leaders

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