Australian government to remove Chinese-made surveillance cameras

The federal government has committed to removing Chinese-made security cameras at government buildings across Australia, admitting there is a potential security problem that needs to be addressed.

More than 900 products built by Chinese companies Hikvision and Dahua are installed at government locations, according to an audit of surveillance equipment conducted by the shadow cybersecurity minister, James Paterson.

The US and UK have banned these products at government locations, with the US Federal Communications Commission warning of an unacceptable risk to national security due to possible espionage and spyware.

Australia s defence minister Richard Marles has announced that an audit of surveillance technology has been launched after reports indicate that at least 913 cameras have been installed at more than 250 government buildings.

Where those cameras are found, they're going to be removed, Marles told ABC Radio on Thursday. There is an issue here and we are going to deal with it.

I don't think we should overstate it but I think it is right to be doing the assessment and making sure that we deal with that and that is what we are going to do. Marles said that significant issues had been identified and the federal government was determined to fix them, although he didn't give a timeline.

That risk has been there for some time and predates us coming into office, but it is important that we go through this exercise and make sure our facilities are fully secure, Marles said.

Anthony Albanese said he didn't believe that removing the cameras would have an impact on diplomatic relations with China.

The prime minister told reporters at a press conference in Canberra that we act in accordance with Australia's national interest.

Paterson s audit revealed that there are 195 Chinese-made surveillance devices used by the Attorney General's Department in 29 locations. There are 154 more at the Department of Climate Change and Energy and 134 more at social services offices.

ASIO Director General Mike Burgess said the data collected by Hikvision and Dahua cameras and what else it could be used for would be of great concern to me and my agency Paterson.

Our Aukus partners and closest security allies, the United States and UK, announced in November 2022 that they were banning the devices from all government buildings because of the national security threat they pose. Paterson said there may be Hikvision and Dahua cameras inside Parliament House, but he has not received confirmation from the Department of Social Services.

On Wednesday, the newly appointed chair of the Australian War Memorial, Kim Beazley, confirmed that several Chinese-made security cameras would be removed from the location in an abundance of caution.