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Siege negotiator says some hostage calls recorded on dictaphone are missing

A Lindt Cafe siege negotiator told an inquest that hostage calls recorded on dictaphone are missing and claims they may have been recorded over by mistake.

7 News Sydney reporter, Chris Reason has tweeted during the siege inquest that hostage calls recorded from on a dictaphone up to 1.16pm during the December 2014 incident are missing.

"Siege negotiator says hostage calls recorded on their dictaphone up to 1.16pm are missing. Says may have been recorded over by mistake," Mr Reason tweeted.

"Now negotiator reveals they had just two phones - landline and a mobile phone. When police were on the landline, hostages couldn't call them."

The inquest also heard that negotiators involved in the Sydney siege were only able to handle one call at a time.

The negotiations team leader, identified only as "Reg", said calls from hostages were being diverted when his team were using the single landline phone available to them.

"There were times there where calls hostages made to (a negotiator) went to another area and not to our cell," he told an inquest on Friday.

'Reg' said calls from hostages were being diverted when his team were using the single landline phone available to them. Photo: Getty.


Reg became aware of the problem during the day but told the inquest he didn't believe there was any option available to fix it.

"I don't know what we could have done," he said.

Counsel assisting the inquest, Jason Downing, asked whether negotiators could have used the mobile phone available to them to make calls out and free up the landline for calls coming in.

"It makes sense, sir," Reg said.

"Did you tell them 'from now on, don't make calls on the PABX, use the mobile'," Mr Downing asked.

"No, I didn't, no," he replied.

Senior Lindt siege negotiator would have called for more resources

Reg also told the coronial inquest that he had never previously dealt with a terrorist and would have called for more resources if he had his time again.

He said he only had four weeks' negotiating training in the late 1990s, and later completed "Islam 101" at a national counter-terror course.

In those years, he said, not everybody was familiar with Islam and religious training was provided to bring people up to speed.

"(It was) in essence a 101 in trying to understand Islam - the faith and the religion," he told the inquest on Thursday.

Reg had never previously been confronted with a confessed terrorist or had to deal with a situation involving more than three hostages.

Reg also told the coronial inquest that he had never previously dealt with a terrorist and would have called for more resources if he had his time again.

When he learned there was a gunman with a backpack and suspected Islamic flag holding a large group of people hostage inside the Lindt Cafe, he knew the December 2014 incident presented a unique challenge.

"It took a whole new twist ... in that sense, it was going to be a big job," Reg said.

In hindsight, he told the inquest his unit would have benefited from more help.

"If I had my time again, and touch wood I don't, I would definitely have called for more resources," he said.