A significant security and political controversy has erupted in Canberra after Senator Pauline Hanson publicly leaked a confidential government email. The message outlined stringent security measures for staff during the official visit of a senior Chinese official, Zhao Leji.
Leaked Email Details Extraordinary Security Precautions
The email, sent by the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) on Monday morning, was marked 'sensitive' and contained the precise itinerary for Zhao Leji's two-day trip. Zhao, who chairs China's National People's Congress, is considered the country's third-most powerful official and a key ally of President Xi Jinping.
The directive advised parliamentarians and their staff to take unprecedented security steps as the Chinese delegation moved through sensitive areas of Parliament House. These included powering down mobile phones, laptops, and iPads. The email also flagged potential Wi-Fi interruptions and urged staff to close office blinds and doors while the delegation passed through corridors.
Hanson's Justification and Government Concerns
Despite the department's explicit request not to distribute the email further, Senator Hanson posted its full contents to social media. She defended her actions by stating the restrictions proved Zhao was 'not a guest, but a bonafide threat to our democracy'.
'Despite being asked not to distribute the email, I think all Australians have a right to know that the Chinese Communist Party cannot be trusted,' Hanson added, describing the official as an 'imposter'.
The DPS communication did not explain the reasons for the strict instructions. However, it noted the delegation's route would take them through the House of Representatives wing, the ministerial wing, and the Prime Minister's courtyard on Monday evening and early Tuesday. Staff were told to use alternative routes and warned of 'intermittent disruptions' to Wi-Fi.
Cybersecurity Experts Weigh In on the Threat
Security analysts were less surprised by the precautions. Dr Nathan Attrill, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told the Daily Mail that such measures reflect long-standing concerns about foreign intelligence gathering.
'When a senior Chinese official visits, agencies assume the delegation will be accompanied by technical specialists capable of wireless interception or device exploitation,' Dr Attrill explained. 'Powering down electronics and disabling Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is simply about reducing the most accessible points of vulnerability.'
He stated that China has a 'long track record' of using diplomatic travel to 'map networks, capture signals and collect whatever ambient data they can'. He emphasised that while this doesn't mean the delegation was acting improperly, Parliament House is one of Australia's most targeted buildings, and the DPS was simply mitigating risk.
The visit included meetings with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and a formal dinner with Senate President Sue Lines and Speaker Milton Dick. The incident occurs amid heightened warnings from ASIO director-general Mike Burgess about a surge in state-sponsored cyber-attacks targeting government infrastructure.
