Victorian Audit Puts Chinese-Made Cameras in the Frame

Security cameras monitor a pedestrian shopping street in Beijing, on Oct. 8, 2019. The Canadian Press/Mark Schiefelbein

The Victorian government is auditing surveillance cameras in government buildings and precincts amid rising concerns over Chinese-made devices.

Close to 1,000 security cameras and other recording systems linked to the Chinese Communist Party are installed in federal government buildings; the Commonwealth confirmed earlier this month.

The Australian Defence Force is auditing the Chinese-manufactured Hikvision and Dahua devices, while dozens of cameras have already been removed from federal government offices.

Victoria’s department of government services was doing its own audit of security cameras in the state’s government buildings and precincts, a spokesman told AAP.

Premier Daniel Andrews could not be drawn on whether he was concerned some cameras were compromised.

“I don’t think that serves anybody’s interests,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

Data published in The Age on Wednesday showed there were 9,000 internet-enabled Hikvision cameras operating in metropolitan Melbourne.

There were hundreds more installed across the regional cities of Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Mildura and Shepparton.

Hikvision has been revealed to have close ties to the CCP and its military. Partly owned by the CCP regime, the group is the world’s largest video surveillance manufacturer.