DJI drone fleet grounded by Border Force amid links to Chinese military

The move comes after The Australian revealed Defence was using hundreds of Chinese-made drones, despite the manufacturer being black-listed by the US government.

The Australian Border Force has stopped using drones from a Chinese manufacturer under review by the Defence Department and black-listed in the US, Home ­Affairs chief operating officer Justine Saunders told Senate estimates on Monday.

“We have actually suspended the use of that capability,” she said in response to questioning from opposition home affairs spokesperson James Paterson.

“I actually issued a directive (last) week indicating that they are not to be used.

“We’ll be working with (the Defence Department) and other partners to satisfy ourselves as to the implications of the use of this technology before it is used.”

It comes after revelations ­earlier this month that the ­Australian Border Force had acquired 41 drones from Chinese military-linked manufacturer DJI since 2017 as part of a trial to explore ­expanding operational capability with remote technologies.

The Australian reported that the defence force was using hundreds of DJI drones, despite the company being black-listed by the US government late last year due to its links to the Chinese military.

The Defence Department this month suspended the use of drones and all other products manufactured by DJI for a six-month audit of high-risk technology. Senator Paterson raised concern that the Australian Border Force would be continuing to use the drones if not for his ­questioning.

Michael Pezzullo, Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs during Senate Estimates at Parliament House win Canberra. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“Don’t we need a more proactive approach in assessing cyber security and technology risks posed by companies like these so we’re not reliant on a question on notice being fired through the Senate?” he asked.

Home Affairs secretary ­Michael Pezzullo said he foresaw “more uniform or ubiquitously restrictive approaches” being considered internationally due to increasingly interconnected critical technologies.

“The question, I think, governments of all persuasions across democracies generally will have to confront is how direct they start to become in terms of saying here is a type of kit or type of technology that you will not use,” he said.

“I suspect we’re going to have to consider that approach more ubiquitously simply because the connectivity of devices, the ­connectivity of technologies, the way in which a drone, or camera, or some kind of imaging device could potentially beacon back or send its data back to a host server.

“But that said, we’re working through it very carefully and ­purposefully.”