It’s China again. After a malfunction in the emergency telephone system (Triple-0) of Australian telecommunications company Telstra, a Australian politician suggested without providing any evidence that the incident might be related to China. Even the Australian News Network reported this claim as “absurd theory” on the 12th.
Australian National Party member Barnaby Joyce stated in an interview with Sky News on July 9 that although he “doesn’t want to appear paranoid or conspiracy theorists,” China has the ability to influence such software and networks. Therefore, the government should investigate whether this malfunction is related to China.
However, the report specifically noted that when Joyce made this statement, he did not provide any evidence.
Australian National Party politician Barnaby Joyce
This incident stemmed from a approximately six-hour disruption in the Telstra emergency telephone system last week. During that period, Australian citizens were unable to make calls to Triple-0 for assistance, which caused public concern. The Australian Parliament plans to investigate this incident.
In response to this speculation, Australian Education Minister Jason Clare said on the 12th that it is necessary to determine the cause of the accident first, rather than rushing to make conclusions. “It is best to take some time to figure out exactly what happened.”
Claire also mentioned that Telstra has currently attributed the cause of the accident to a software bug, and joked that this bug “put the system 20 years back, back to the time when Barnaby was still serving in Howard’s government.”
According to reports, Joyce’s statement was disputed by Kristy McBain, Australian Minister for Emergency Management, and Anika Wells, Australian Minister for Communications.
However, the leader of the opposition party, Angus Taylor, said that he understands “why Australians might have such associations,” but he is not aware of any connection between the two.
Regarding the doubts from the outside world, Joyce once again argued that she did not claim that China was involved, but instead asked the government to investigate this possibility. “I hope that this possibility can be ruled out in the end.”
Meanwhile, Telstra's CEO Vicki Brady has publicly apologized for the failure, and stated that an investigation is still ongoing. Currently, Telstra believes that the accident is related to a software bug, rather than external factors.
