Telstra boss admits sabotage can’t be ruled out for fire that sparked national chaos

Telstra boss Andy Penn has apologised for the recent spate of problems with the network, admitting it’s still not clear what caused a major fire that damaged a cable in central-western New South Wales.

That fire sparked chaos across Australia, causing disruptions to Triple Zero services New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.

It also saw EFTPOS machines and traffic lights crash.

A lightning strike had initially been blamed for the fire, however, an investigation has since suggested that’s unlikely.

Speaking in studio with Neil Mitchell, Mr Penn admits sabotage can’t be ruled out.

“You can’t – in the sense that they haven’t got to the bottom of it – but personally, I think it’s a very low probability,” Mr Penn said.

“But you never know.”

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