Australia to remove Chinese surveillance tech amid security fears

Australia will remove Chinese-made surveillance cameras from defence sites over national security fears. The UK and US made similar moves last year, citing fears the device data may be accessed by the Chinese government. The audit of Australian government sites found the cameras and security gear were located on more than 200 buildings, in almost every department - including the foreign affairs and attorney general's departments. Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on Thursday said the government would find and remove the cameras from any defence locations to make them "Completely secure". Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said the government will review whether the cameras on other government buildings need to be removed as well. In November the UK also blocked the installation of any new surveillance cameras made by Dahua and Hikvision on "Sensitive sites" due to security concerns. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was unconcerned about how the Chinese government might react to the move.