Communications Minister Anika Wells faced mounting pressure on Tuesday after she failed to appear before a Senate inquiry probing catastrophic failures of triple-0 calls on the Vodafone network—while simultaneously defending tens of thousands of dollars in taxpayer-funded travel to major sporting events.

Her absence coincided with explosive new evidence, including confirmation of a second suspected death linked to emergency call failures involving older Samsung devices operating on TPG Telecom’s Vodafone network.

New Fatalities, Old Phones, and Warnings Ignored

TPG Telecom chief executive Iñaki Berroeta told the inquiry that he had only learned on Monday—months after the fact—of a possible second fatality involving a customer unable to reach emergency services. The death occurred on September 24, the same day of the Optus triple-0 outage, yet TPG’s initial advice to government claimed no fatality was linked to the incident.

Telstra, which operates the national triple-0 platform, contradicted that account. Telstra public affairs chief Cecilia Bergman testified that she informed the Communications Department at 11:01am on September 24 after NSW Ambulance advised of the fatality. Two days later, TPG supplied conflicting information, telling the government no death had occurred.

Samsung Electronics Australia’s mobile chief Eric Chou delivered further revelations, stating that the company was not informed the September 24 incident involved a fatality until the Senate hearing itself.

Samsung General Manager of Mobile Eric Chou

Samsung Says It Warned Carriers Years Ago.

Chou also confirmed that Samsung notified TPG as early as 2021 that 71 older Samsung models would be affected by the shutdown of 3G networks. Sixty-one models could be fixed with software updates; 10 were known to be incapable of making emergency calls once 3G was decommissioned.

Despite this, carriers continued allowing the problematic devices to operate on their networks.

Australia’s new Family Junket Minister and part time Communications Minister Anika Wells

Samsung told the inquiry that 1.6 million devices have received software updates since 3G was switched off, yet 98,000 phones across Telstra, Optus and TPG still require upgrading. On TPG’s own network, Berroeta admitted that 8000 unsafe devices remain active and would be blocked “within weeks,” while 10,000 more remain at risk if users fail to update their software.

He offered no explanation for why the network did not automatically bar devices incapable of making triple-0 calls—fueling speculation that carriers prioritised customer retention over safety.

Cover-Up Allegations and ‘Death Phone’ Fears

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young accused Telstra of attempting to “cover up” the triple-0 failure linked to Wentworth Falls, adding to mounting allegations of mismanagement by both Optus and TPG, and slow notification of government authorities following emergency-call-related deaths.

Millions of Australians are believed to be unknowingly carrying outdated devices that may fail to connect to emergency services when their primary network is unavailable.

Nationals Senator Ross Cadell described the lack of urgency from carriers and government as “inexplicable,” saying the silence “may have contributed to a second death.”

TPG Telecom chief executive Iñaki Berroeta

Minister Wells Absent Amid Spending Scandal

As the inquiry grilled telecommunications executives, Minister Anika Wells—responsible for overseeing the nation’s emergency call system—was notably absent. Wells instead spent the day defending revelations that she billed taxpayers to take her husband to three consecutive AFL grand finals, and spent nearly $100,000 to travel business class to New York shortly after the fatal Optus triple-0 outage.

Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh said the disclosures were “sickening” and strengthened calls for an independent, system-wide investigation.

“Every Australian has the right to be very angry with the government’s lack of care,” McIntosh said. “The Minister left the country during the Optus triple-0 crisis to go to New York.”

Liberal Senator Sarah Henderson added that while Wells is not obligated to appear before Senate committees, the decision to refuse was “deeply disappointing.”

Unanswered Questions Intensify Political Pressure

Neither TPG, Samsung nor the Communications Department has confirmed whether unsafe legacy devices continue to operate on Australian networks. And it remains unclear whether Minister Wells was informed of the September 24 fatality while she was in New York promoting the government’s proposed social-media ban for under-16s.

Calls for a sweeping, independent inquiry are now intensifying, as senators warn that regulatory failures, corporate complacency and government inaction may have left Australians at deadly risk.