Home Affairs minister Tony Burke accused of driving Chinese EV
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has been accused of driving around a Chinese ‘listening device’ and endangering national security.
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Coalition Senator James Paterson has reignited national security concerns over whether Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke drives a Chinese-made electric car.
During a fiery Senate legal and constitutional affairs committee hearing this week, Paterson questioned whether or not Burke was driving a Chinese-made vehicle despite warnings from security experts that Chinese connected electric vehicles (EVs) could be used for surveillance.
The issue has gained global attention after the Biden administration’s decision in January to introduce a ban on Chinese hardware and software in connected vehicles.
The US decision was driven by the fear that connected vehicles could transmit real-time data including location, activities of drivers and privacy data, and that data collected by China-made vehicles could be used for espionage or surveillance.
The US restrictions are set to begin in 2027.
During the hearing, Mr Paterson asked Labor’s Employment Minister Murray Watt whether Mr Burke still drove a Chinese-made electric vehicle in a personal capacity.
The labor frontbencher refused to answer Mr Paterson’s questions but Mr Watt responded stating the Home Affairs Minister “takes the position that he should not and does not discuss sensitive matters in any car”.
Officials stated that oral advice had been given to Mr Burke on security risks, specifically against connecting official work-issued devices to connected vehicles.
However, they did not comment on whether he has been advised against linking his personal phone or using the car near secure government facilities.
“Wouldn’t it be safer if he didn’t drive a potential listening device around?” Mr Patterson said.
Mr Burke has been contacted for comment on the matter.
The questions around Mr Burke’s vehicle ownership come as Australian cybersecurity experts warn that connected vehicles have the ability to collect sensitive data.
Over the past decade, Chinese telecommunications and surveillance companies have been banned from Australian projects due to security concerns yet they are quietly re-entering Australia through a new industry - automotive.
Hauwai, the world’s largest telecommunications company, was banned from Australia’s 5G rollout under the Turnbull government due to its close ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Now, Huawai works with major Chinese automakers such as Seres Group, Changan Automobile, and Chery.
But it’s not just Huawai, other Chinese technology companies have also pivoted.
Baidu, which has worked with the People’s Liberation Army on military AI, has entered the car market.
Dahua, whose surveillance cameras were banned from Australia government buildings is now re-entering Australia through a partnership with Stellantis to bring Leapmotor to Australia.
Cybersecurity expert Dr Lesley Seebeck who previously provided comment to news.com.au
said Australia was in a vulnerable position.
“Australia is a technology taker, our supply chains are vulnerable, our dependency on foreign technology is high and we are rapid adopted of new consumer technology,” she said.
She explained that data collected by these vehicles and companies can be shared with Beijing.
“China’s cyber penetration into internet connected device was illustrated last week,” she said, referencing the FBI’s take-down of the Chinese botnet Flax Typhoon last year, which targeted government networks.
“It and the earlier botnet Volt Typhoon represent a step change in Chinese cyber behaviour - aimed at extortion, control and potential sabotage.”
Dr Seebeck also warned that China couldn’t be trusted.
“It is an autocratic regime, with no accountability, little respect for international norms and an increasingly assertive approach to achieving its strategic goals,” she said.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) warns that CCP’s reach into private companies has dramatically expanded, with government-linked “party committees” exerting control over businesses.
By 2017, Huawei alone had over 300 Communist Party Members embedded in its workforce.
Australia is yet to follow the US’s lead in banning Chinese software and hardware in connected vehicles.
Originally published as Home Affairs minister Tony Burke accused of driving Chinese EV
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