Police and Lawyers Can Use Network Warrant Data in Court; New Permission to Access Stored Messages; Rules for International Data Orders
Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025
House of Representatives
Senate
Assent
Topics
child safety court procedures criminal evidence criminal justice data interception data privacy digital surveillance law enforcement law enforcement powers national security network privacy police powers privacy stored communications +9 more
Introduced by: The Hon Tony Burke MP (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Tony Burke ALP
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. A dynamic and uncertain geopolitical outlook requires that Australia update its electronic surveillance and law enforcement frameworks to meet new challenges. Our government’s commitment to create a nation where everyone can be safe and feel safe must include cyber and telecommunications systems.”
Anika Wells ALP
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Introduction Triple 0 is the most critical service in our telecommunications system. It is the number Australians call in their most desperate moment of need, when lives and safety are on the line. Australians should trust that when they call triple 0 someone will answer and help will come.”
Julian Leeser LIB
“The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 amends the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979, the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 and the Crimes Act 1914 to ensure key provisions operate as intended. It also makes technical amendments flowing from the government’s decision to reconstitute the Home Affairs portfolio following the federal election.”
“I wish to begin this speech by acknowledging the outstanding work of the individual Australians who work for our security agencies.”
“Anything that can make Australia’s telecommunications even more watertight—the security thereof—has to be commended and supported, and the coalition does support the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. It’s important legislation. As you’ve just heard from the member for Goldstein, our national security is vital.”
Barnaby Joyce PHON
“I concur with those remarks. I just want to add to the closing remarks of the member for Riverina that what we’ve seen is that obviously the set-up that we had in dealing with this was the correct one. It was changed by the incoming government, and it’s had to be changed back. But I want to concentrate on one thing, and that’s paedophile rings and having to track these things down.”
Mary Aldred LIB
“I associate myself with the remarks of my colleague, the member for New England, on the insidious rise of the illegal tobacco trade at the moment. It is causing huge issues for regional Australia, particularly in my home state of Victoria, where that was brought home just this week, with the illegal ram raid on a local grocery store in Longwarry.”
Tom Venning LIB
“I wish to contribute to the debate on the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. I want to focus on regional telecommunications. Of course, the electorate of Grey represents 92.4 per cent of geographic South Australia, from the Nullarbor to the Eyre Peninsula, the Yorke Peninsula, the mid-north, the far north and, of course, the outback.”
Jess Walsh ALP
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— INTRODUCTION Triple Zero is the most critical service in our telecommunications system. It is the number Australians call in their most desperate moment of need, when lives and safety are on the line.”
James McGrath LNP
“I rise today to speak on the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025. On behalf of the coalition I want to be clear from the outset that this bill was rushed through the House and is now being rushed through the Senate because of the catastrophic Optus outage in September. This was no ordinary outage.”
“When disaster strikes, whether it’s a flood, a fire, a crash or a heart attack, Australians know that they can dial three simple numbers, triple 0, and get help. Triple 0 is a service that has saved countless lives. But we saw, during the Optus outage, that our emergency system—one of the most trusted in the world—is not immune to system outages.”
“I rise to contribute to the debate on this bill, the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025, that has been rushed into the parliament after what has been a very deadly and significant failure of one of Australia’s largest telecommunications companies. Of course, we know that on 18 September Optus failed its customers.”
Sarah Henderson LIB
“This year, 18 September was a shocking day for this country. A number of people died. There are still conflicting reports about whether three or four people died. They died as a result of a catastrophic failure by Optus.”
Richard Dowling ALP
“I rise to support the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025, a bill that goes to the heart of public trust and safety. Every Australian should have the confidence that when they dial triple 0, when they reach out for help in an emergency, that call will be answered and that someone will be there at the other end.”
Mehreen Faruqi GRN
“I rise to speak to the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025 and thank my colleague Senator Hanson-Young for all the work that she has done with and for the community after this devastating catastrophe.”
“I rise today to speak to the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025. Regulating telecommunications companies is essential, and the Greens welcome the introduction of this bill. However, it has taken the government far too long to take steps to regulate the telecommunications companies.”
David Shoebridge GRN
“Three people are dead because a private corporation was allowed to prioritise profits over safety. That’s what privatisation looks like, and we should be clear that it’s killing Australians.”
“This bill, the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Triple Zero Custodian and Emergency Calling Powers) Bill 2025, is the bare minimum. The public deserve to know that when they dial triple 0, they will reach a system that works and that they will get help that they need. When it fails, there must be only the most serious of consequences. Frankly, this debate isn’t a new one.”
Jonathon Duniam LIB
“I rise to make a contribution on the Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025.”
Anthony Chisholm ALP
“I thank honourable members for their contributions to the debate on this bill. The Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 remedies defects preventing agencies from exercising powers in the manner that parliament intended.”