Chinese phone by ZTE used in Parliament House raises fears about national security
A CHINESE-MADE phone is being used by MPs, their staff and parliamentary officers and has security experts worried.
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AUSTRALIA’S national security may be compromised because politicians and their staff are using a susceptible Chinese phone.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the Telstra Tough T55 handset — a phone made by Chinese telecommunications company ZTE, which has links to the Beijing government — is currently available on the secure ParlICT website to order. And the Department of Parliamentary Services is now conducting an urgent review into the device’s suitability after questions from The Daily Telegraph. The phone is listed for $195 on the ordering system available to all who work in Parliament House.
And in the 2016/17 financial year, 90 of the devices were ordered and distributed by DPS on a “voice only” plan. ZTE and its products have long been a concern to overseas governments with the US House Intelligence Committee in 2012 finding that devices made by the company could not be trusted to be completely free of foreign state influence.
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Private security firm Kryptowire last year found some handsets made by ZTE could potentially contain a backdoor feature that would allow data to be sent to Beijing every 72 hours.
The revelation that the ZTE-built T55 handset is being used by government officials has raised serious concern among intelligence experts, who say there is no guarantee China wasn’t using the device to spy on Australia.
Executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Peter Jennings said given concerns have been raised about ZTE in the past, serious questions needed to be asked about the T55 device being appropriate for use by government officials. A spokesman for the Department of Parliamentary Services said devices chosen for the ParlICT ordering system were based on “technical and support requirements, our customers’ feedback and cost”.
“A large number of these devices are short term use phones that are provided for use in countries where travel advice recommends not taking smartphone devices,” the spokesman said.
Attorney-General George Brandis would not comment specifically on the T55 device but said national security reform was a key priority for the Turnbull government.
Telstra said it had looked into the T55 device but was yet to receive any specific complaints so would continue to make the device available to government clients.
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