Sensitive Home Affairs files from Australia now held by Chinese owned firm

Australia’s Home Affairs Department has admitted its sensitive files are also being stored with a Chinese-owned firm.

First it was our Defence secrets, then our tax files. Now Home Affairs has admitted the nation’s sensitive law enforcement files are also being stored with a Chinese-owned firm – four years after advice from its own security agencies that it move them elsewhere.

The Home Affairs Department, which brings together the nation’s federal law enforcement, national transport security, emergency management and immigration and border security, has finally admitted it too continues to store its files with Global Switch.

As reported last week, Defence had been storing its files with data storage firm Global Switch but in December 2016 was told to move them after its UK owners Aldersgate Investments was bought out by Chinese diversified steel giant Jiangsu Shagang Group.

Concerns have been raised in federal parliament about security of Defence Department secrets held by Chinese-owned data centre Global Switch. Picture: Supplied

The then Treasurer Scott Morrison said at the time it was “entirely appropriate” to move out for the sake of “integrity” once the contract had lapsed at the end of 2020 but Defence had only managed to move out the most classified documents and left the rest and extended the contract until 2025. The ATO has also admitted it too was struggling to move its files out in a timely way and was only expected to do so sometime in 2022.

Now Home Affairs has reluctantly admitted it too was still in the process of moving its sensitive files out from Global Switch Ultimo facility, in Sydney’s CBD.

“Home Affairs has begun migrating data and systems out of GSU,” was all a spokeswoman would say, declining to answer which files were still there and how long it would take to move them.

Concerns about the security of the nation’s key agencies associated with GSU was raised in Parliament last week by MP Bob Katter, prompting assurances by Mr Morrison that he was satisfied with the current process.

Bob Katter MP not happy with anything China. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gary Ramage

GSU has consistently denied the change of ownership to a Chinese firm meant any weakening of security, despite the new owners being linked directly to the highest echelons of the Chinese Communist Party.

The Home Affairs revelation comes as Macquarie Data Centres, part of the ASX-listed Macquarie Telecom Group, yesterday announced it had launched a new data “bunker” in Canberra to house “the most highly classified” Australian Government workloads.

“Government agencies cannot risk having all their data eggs in one basket,” Macquarie Government managing director Aidan Tudehope said of the new storage facility called IC5.

“Canberra needs greater diversity in its balance of data storage, protection and management, and the Australian Government wants greater competition in the local market that supports Government agencies. IC5 is not just welcome, but necessary infrastructure for Government agencies that are increasing their cloud and IT needs.”

Macquarie Data Centres opened a new "data bunker" facility in Canberra today February 25, 2021. The $17m facility is certified to store and manage highly classified Government data, including for Department of Defence, Picture: Supplied

The $17 million bunker involves 4km of conduits and five tonnes of solar rooftop infrastructure.

Macquarie Government already supports more than 40 per cent of Australian Federal and State government agencies and personnel with cyber security, secure internet gateway and cloud services.

Originally published as Sensitive Home Affairs files from Australia now held by Chinese owned firm