secure communications imperative

Government asked to explain Optus claims09:36 AEST Thu Dec 18 20081 hour 7 minutes agoVIEWS: 0| FLOCKS: 0| 0 comments so far
The government has been asked to explain any link between the broadband bid and China's army.
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Dec 18, 2008
The federal opposition is demanding the government explain whether a company involved with the new frontrunner's bid for Australia's national broadband network has links with the Chinese military.

Security agencies will closely examine the bid placed by Singtel Optus, which is believed to have asked Chinese firm Huawei Technologies to help build its network, The Australian newspaper reported.

Huawei was the subject of a US congressional investigation on national security, after concerns were raised about the company's links to the Chinese military and intelligence apparatus, the report said.

"These are potentially very concerning revelations," opposition communications spokesman Nick Minchin told AAP.

The federal government had kicked out Telstra - the only Australian publicly-listed company bidding for the national broadband network (NBN) - leaving just three national bidders.

The respected global think tank Rand Corporation, which specialises in national security research, says Huawei maintains deep ties with the Chinese military, Senator Minchin said.

Cyber espionage was a problem that Australia had to constantly guard against and the new broadband network needed to be "secure or seen to be secure".

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy must state whether Optus had close links to Huawei, Senator Minchin said.

"If Telstra were kicked out of the bidding process simply because they didn't submit a small business participation plan, where does that leave this particular bid?," he said.

Australians needed to be assured the new network was free of any potential for cyber espionage, he said.

A spokesman for Senator Conroy declined to comment specifically on the report, saying five proposals were being considered by a government-appointed panel.

The panel would provide expert recommendations to government, he said.