Overview
- An email from the Department of Parliamentary Services instructed occupants in designated areas to power down phones, tablets and laptops, or use lockdown mode with Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth disabled.
- Staff were told to expect intermittent Wi‑Fi disruptions, close doors and blinds for privacy, use alternative routes and follow directions from parliamentary security.
- Zhao Leji, chair of China’s National People’s Congress, is visiting Parliament House on Monday evening and Tuesday for meetings that include the Senate president, the House speaker and the governor general, with a meeting with the prime minister reported as expected.
- Shadow cybersecurity minister Claire Chandler called the measures concerning and cited past targeting of Australian parliamentarians in 2024 and ASIO warnings about threats to critical infrastructure.
- Security experts said temporary device and connectivity restrictions align with prudent counter‑espionage practices, while DPS did not specify a reason beyond standard protective‑security communication.