In response to the visit of a high-ranking Chinese Communist Party official, the Australian Parliament issued a rare directive to all members and parliamentary staff to shut down their mobile phones and electronic devices during specific periods to prevent potential network attacks. This move is considered an unprecedented high-level security measure.
According to an internal email issued by the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS), during the visit of Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China on Monday, November 24th, individuals in designated areas must shut down all internet-connected devices, including phones, tablets, and laptops, and disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The email even detailed the walking route of the Chinese delegation in the Parliament House, warning lawmakers to be extra cautious if they are in the vicinity as the connections could be exploited. The email also cautioned that Wi-Fi in the designated area may experience intermittent disruptions.
The guidelines specified that if the use of devices is unavoidable for official business, mobile phones and tablets must be updated to the latest versions and put in “lock mode,” while laptops must have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functions disabled.
This email was later shared on Facebook by Pauline Hanson, the leader of One Nation party, sparking public attention. Hanson emphasized the rarity of this warning, especially the explicit detailing of the walking route of the Chinese delegation within the Parliament, indicating an unusual situation.
She underscored in her post that if the Parliament needs to issue such a warning, “then he is not a guest, but a trickster, a real threat to our democracy.”
Hanson also mentioned that despite the request not to leak the email, “Australians have the right to know that the Chinese Communist Party is absolutely not trustworthy.”
In recent years, Australian security agencies have repeatedly advised politicians to use disposable phones when visiting mainland China or Taiwan and discard them upon return to prevent technological surveillance or malicious software implantation.
The Department of Parliamentary Services, in response to inquiries from The Epoch Times, stated that they “regularly issue notifications and recommendations to lawmakers and staff regarding activities inside and outside the parliamentary precinct,” but did not provide specific comments on the heightened sensitivity of this warning.
Just weeks before the enforcement of these strict measures, the Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO), Mike Burgess, issued a warning that state-supported Chinese hackers had shifted from “espionage activities to destructive operations” and were targeting critical Australian infrastructure.
He revealed that between 2023 and 2024, the Australian economy suffered losses of up to $12.5 billion due to spy activities and foreign interference, calling out Chinese hacker groups like “Salt Typhoon” and “Volt Typhoon” for suspected attacks on the telecommunications systems of Australia and the United States.
Australian intelligence expert and former federal police officer Paul Johnstone told The Epoch Times that these guidelines indicate authorities’ concerns about the Chinese delegation potentially carrying “sophisticated intelligence-gathering tools.”
These tools include devices that can “intercept Wi-Fi signals, impersonate mobile communication base stations, exploit Bluetooth connections, or steal unencrypted data simply by physical proximity.”
He pointed out, “These devices are typically small, operate silently, and can steal sensitive data without the need to physically touch the target device—raising questions about what visiting officials, security personnel, or diplomats may be carrying.”
Considering that China has manufactured some of the latest surveillance and spying devices, often reverse-engineered from technologies stolen from numerous Western countries, these devices could easily be concealed within everyday items.
He added that a political insider disclosed that these measures aim to reduce “exposure risks during sensitive periods.”