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SENATOR THE HON JAMES McGRATH

SHADOW SPECIAL MINISTER OF STATE

SHADOW MINISTER FOR URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE AND CITIES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE OLYMPICS AND PARALYMPICS

SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND

MEDIA RELEASE

ANAO REPORT CONFIRMS SERIOUS CYBER SECURITY FAILINGS AT PARLIAMENT

HOUSE

11 June 2026

An Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) report into cyber security within the

Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS) has found the Australian Parliament is

vulnerable because of serious failures in cyber security governance and risk

management.

The ANAO found that DPS had only a "partly effective" baseline of essential cyber

security strategies and had failed to fully implement the Essential Eight cyber security

protocols developed by the Australian Signals Directorate.

Shadow Special Minister of State Senator James McGrath said these findings were

particularly concerning given DPS is responsible for protecting the sensitive information

of parliamentarians, staff, and parliamentary departments.

“Parliamentarians are among the highest-value targets for foreign intelligence services

and malicious cyber actors,” Senator McGrath said.

“The ANAO’s findings are very concerning, particularly given DPS’ admissions to me

during senate estimates that they have failed to adequately safeguard sensitive

parliamentary data. ”

These failures most notably included providing tranches of sensitive communications to

a law firm that was hacked by Russians, via a contractor that didn’t even hold the

necessary security clearances.“The report paints a troubling picture of outdated risk registers, high staff turnover in key

ICT roles, and a failure to adequately comply with cyber security frameworks,” Senator

McGrath said.

“Of particular concern is the finding that DPS has not appropriately reflected the

differing security requirements of parliamentarians, staff and other users within its IT

environment. ”

The ANAO report follows recent revelations of state-linked phishing attacks against

parliamentarians and the compromise of parliamentary documents due to human error.

“The ANAO's findings should serve as a wake-up call,” Senator McGrath said.

“The Australian public should expect that the institution at the heart of our democracy

is protected against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats from foreign-state actors.

“Cyber security is not an optional extra. It is a fundamental responsibility of the

government.

“It is now up to the Albanese Government to ensure that DPS implements the ANAO’s

recommendations in full.

“Given the current threat environment, it is clear that Labor needs to be much tougher

when it comes to cyber security.”

Last month Senator McGrath called for an urgent security review into Labor’s decision

to include Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) in the Commonwealth parliamentarian

vehicle scheme.

ENDS

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