Liberal senator Kerrynne Liddle's claim an Aussie died during Telstra outage debunked by police - as cops condemn the public airing of a family's grief

By CAITLIN POWELL - NEWS REPORTER Published: 05:21, 10 July 2026 | Updated: 05:27, 10 July 2026 A claim by Senator Kerrynne Liddle that a woman died during the nationwide Telstra outage has been proven incorrect by police. The South Australian politician said her office received a report on Wednesday of a 'tragic death following an apparent failure to connect to Triple Zero during a life-or-death emergency'. 'This death of an elderly South Australian represents a devastating failure for their family,' she said. But on Friday, SA Police said investigations ruled out any suggestion calls to emergency services had failed.  'Police investigations into a suggestion a death occurred in South Australia due to the 000 outage on Wednesday have revealed this is incorrect,' a statement said. 'This is a distressing time for the family of the deceased woman. They have lost a cherished member of their family and are grieving. '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.'  The Daily Mail has contacted Senator Liddle's office for comment.  Police investigations into a suggestion a death occurred in South Australia due to the 000 outage with Telstra on Wednesday have revealed the claim was incorrect Kerrynne Liddle (pictured) had said her office received a report on Wednesday of a 'tragic death following an apparent failure to connect to Triple Zero during a life-or-death emergency' Police said they launched an investigation after the claim was made on social media. Officers were also provided with further information by those responsible for the online post that an attempt to call 000 had failed. While the circumstances that led to the death of a woman were not revealed, SA Police issued a timeline of events after she was found unconscious at home. 'At 10am on Wednesday 8 July, the woman’s partner found her in an unresponsive state following a medical episode,' the statement said. 'Her partner called a neighbour using his Telstra mobile phone. The call connected.  'The neighbour, who had medical experience, attended instantly and assessed the woman.' The neighbour then called Triple Zero using her Telstra mobile phone and requested an ambulance, which also connected without issue. An ambulance arrived shortly afterwards and the woman was transported to a local hospital where she passed away several hours later. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.