Australian federal MPs warned to turn off phones when Chinese delegation visits Parliament House

The Guardian - Politicians and staff in parts of Parliament House have been urged to turn off their phones, laptops and internet during a visit by Chinese officials, with parliament administrators warning building occupants about interruptions to wifi service.

The shadow cybersecurity minister, Claire Chandler, called the warning “incredibly concerning”, saying the parliament advisory raised worries about threats to sensitive data.

Zhao Leji, chair of the National People’s Congress of China, is visiting Parliament House on Monday evening for engagements and dinner with the Senate president, Sue Lines, and the House of Representatives speaker, Milton Dick. Zhao was scheduled to meet the governor general, Sam Mostyn, earlier on Monday, and is expected to meet the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.

“It’s incredibly concerning that parliamentarians and their offices are expected to go to extreme lengths like locking down or shutting down devices and disabling wifi just to protect our data in Parliament House during this visit from Zhao Leji,” Chandler said.

“It’s fair to expect all parliamentarians to be vigilant about their own cybersecurity, but the measures in place today go far beyond what’s usually expected for a visiting delegation. It’s a stark reminder of the reality of the cyber threats we’re facing.”

Chandler was among half a dozen federal politicians, members of the global Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, who were targeted by Chinese hackers in 2024.

In her statement, she noted recent warnings from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation about Chinese-backed hackers targeting critical infrastructure. In a speech this month, Asio head, Mike Burgess, warned that Australia faced a threat of “high-impact sabotage”.

Dr Gatra Priyandita, senior analyst with the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the warnings from DPS were warranted.

“Given China’s record of cyber-espionage, including against critical telecom infrastructure, temporary device or wifi limitations are consistent with prudent protective-security measures,” she said.

“[The Australian Signals Directorate’s] 2024–25 threat report shows China-linked groups increasingly probing devices and networks as entry points into critical systems, so warnings about potential connectivity disruptions during the delegation visit align with that current threat picture.”