An Australian senator has sparked controversy after admitting she tested the Triple Zero emergency service during the nationwide Telstra outage.
Shadow Communications Minister Sarah Henderson said she made the call to check whether Australians could still reach emergency services.
Her admission, made during a live television interview, triggered criticism from government ministers and emergency service officials.
Authorities stressed that the public should never test Triple Zero unless they are facing a genuine emergency, as it can delay urgent responses.
Henderson defended her actions, saying it was part of her responsibility to assess the impact of the communications failure.
The incident has intensified scrutiny of Telstra’s outage and renewed debate over the reliability of Australia’s emergency communications system.
