Australian govt. orders checks on Chinese-made surveillance cameras in defense offices

• The Australian government will look into the surveillance systems.
• Chinese technology is prohibited in the US.
• Security cameras installed in Canberra will be removed.

Defence Minister Richard Marles announced on Thursday that the Australian government will look into the surveillance systems in use at the defense department’s offices following accusations that cameras there installed by Chinese manufacturers posed a security concern.

The checks follow a request from Britain to its government departments in November to halt installing surveillance cameras with Chinese connections at important locations, citing security concerns. Several Chinese technology companies’ vendors and goods are prohibited in some American states.

“This is an issue and … we’re doing an assessment of all the technology for surveillance within the defense (department) and where those particular cameras are found, they are going to be removed,” Marles told the media.

James Paterson, a lawmaker from the opposition, claimed an audit he conducted revealed nearly 1,000 pieces of equipment made by two partially state-owned Chinese companies, Dahua Technology Co. and Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology, were installed in more than 250 Australian government buildings.

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The government was urged by Paterson, the shadow minister for cyber security and preventing foreign interference, to immediately come up with a strategy to get rid of all such cameras.

Marles acknowledged the importance of the problem but added, “I don’t think we should overstate it.”

Hikvision claimed that portraying the company as a danger to Australia’s national security was “categorically incorrect” given that it was unable to access end-user video footage, administer end-user databases, or offer cloud storage services there.

“Our cameras are compliant with all applicable Australian laws and regulations and are subject to strict security requirements,” a spokesperson said in an emailed response.

The national war monument in Canberra will remove many security cameras that were put on the property that was built in China, according to Australian media on Wednesday.

In part as a result of Australia’s 2018 decision to exclude Chinese tech giant Huawei from its 5G internet network, Australia and China have been working to repair their diplomatic relations.

An Australian proposal for a separate probe into the causes of Covid-19 later harmed relations even further.

China’s response was to impose duties on a number of Australian goods.

Anthony Albanese, the prime minister, stated that he was not worried about how China could respond to the removal of cameras.

“We act in accordance with Australia’s national interest. We do so transparently and that’s what we will continue to do,” Albanese told reporters.