Optus has already paid $12 million for another major breach of emergency call rules in November 2024, following a separate triple zero outage investigated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.
Earlier this month, Optus head Stephen Rue told a senate inquiry that “… on behalf of Optus, the board, the executive team, and the thousands of people across Australia who work at Optus, what happened on 18 September is unacceptable”.
“As the CEO, I am accountable for Optus’ failings, and I am deeply sorry.”
WA opposition sport and recreation spokesman, the Nationals’ Peter Rundle, believes Optus’ position as stadium sponsor is untenable.
“Optus cannot keep splashing its logo across Perth Stadium when West Australians have lost their lives because of its negligence,” he said in the wake of the outage in September.
Opposition Leader Basil Zempilas has also called on Deputy Premier and Sports and Recreation Minister Rita Saffioti to “step up, do the right thing and take the name down”.
Saffioti said at the time the question of naming rights was “not a focus at the moment”.
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“Our focus is really understanding what transpired,” she said.
Now, with the focus of the world’s media on Perth and the stadium on day one of the Ashes, perhaps the minister could turn her mind to the message it sends by allowing Optus to keep its name on the sporting coliseum.
Granted, due to Cricket Australia’s contractual obligations, the arena is known as Perth Stadium for major international matches played there, and Optus branding is stripped away or covered up – save for those three words emblazoned across the side of the stadium.
The time has come for the government to say No, not Yes, and look for a more worthy sponsor.
Pay back the telco $10 million for the final two years of the contract – if that is what the company would require.
Only then, will Optus be held truly accountable for its failings.
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