South Australia Police have unequivocally dismissed claims by Senator Kerrynne Liddle that a woman died because she was unable to call for medical help during Wednesday's nationwide Telstra outage. Police Commissioner Grant Stevens described the public allegation as “unfortunate,” saying it placed unnecessary strain on a grieving family.
Police Investigation Confirms No Link
Commissioner Stevens stated on Friday that the woman's partner was able to call a neighbour using his Telstra mobile, and that neighbour successfully called triple-0 on her own Telstra mobile without any issues. “I can confirm at no point was the Telstra outage of any consequence to this person's passing,” Stevens said. Telstra also confirmed both calls connected normally.
The woman suffered a medical episode around 10am on Wednesday. Her partner found her unresponsive and called a neighbour with medical experience. The neighbour attended immediately, assessed the woman, and called triple-0. An ambulance arrived and took her to hospital, where she later died.
Senator's Social Media Post Sparked Controversy
Senator Liddle posted on Facebook on Wednesday evening, claiming her office had received a report of a “tragic death” linked to an “apparent failure to connect to triple zero during the nationwide outage.” The post read: “The death of an elderly Sth Australian represents a devastating failure.” It quickly gained traction, fuelling public alarm.
Police attempted to contact Liddle repeatedly on Wednesday and attended her office on Thursday after receiving further information. Police Minister Michael Brown expressed disappointment that Liddle did not cooperate earlier, saying, “You can’t just throw these allegations out there and not be prepared to provide the information regarding them.”
Impact on the Family
Commissioner Stevens emphasised the unnecessary scrutiny the family faced. “This family is now dealing with the loss of a loved one and there’s been a level of scrutiny applied to this family that would not have ordinarily occurred had that social media post not been put forward,” he said. SAPOL issued a statement saying, “It is unfortunate their loved one’s death was placed in the public arena in the manner it was when it need not have been.”
Police noted that the only connectivity issue occurred later when the woman's partner struggled to contact relatives from the hospital—a misunderstanding that “may have been misinterpreted” and formed the basis of the belief the death was linked to the outage.
Minister's Response
Police Minister Michael Brown said Liddle's actions portrayed SAPOL in a bad light and provoked fear in the community. “To do otherwise is actually to do a disservice to the public. It creates unnecessary fear and alarm,” he said. He added that he was pleased Liddle eventually cooperated with police after public pressure.
7NEWS.com.au contacted Liddle's office for comment but had not received a response as of Friday.
