Pollies clash over China EV ‘threat’

Federal MP Barnaby Joyce is so concerned about China controlling its electric vehicles in Australia he could barely let his Labor opponent explain what the government is doing about the apparent “threat”.

Senior Labor cabinet member Tanya Plibersek and Mr Joyce appeared on Sunrise on Monday morning.

Their discussion got typically combative; “It would be really nice to finish a sentence,” Ms Plibersek said. “Now it’s my turn, Tanya,” Mr Joyce said shortly after.

The gruff debate was centred on Mr Joyce’s concerns about Chinese interference through that country’s electric vehicles, which make up about 80 per cent of EVs on Australian roads.

Mr Joyce already started pushing the China point over the weekend, liking the threat to Israel’s use of exploding pager devices.

The US government has proposed a ban on importation and sale of vehicles with Chinese and Russian-manufactured software and hardware because of the threat of tracking, data harvesting and literal foreign interference in the automobile.

But both Labor and the Coalition have ruled out a ban here.

Sunrise host Natalie Barr asked Mr Joyce if he was “fearful that the Chinese could somehow push buttons and blow up solar panels and electric vehicles.

“We’ve seen it, we have overloaded systems on roofs. Where do I see this? I get this from people. We’ve seen people who had their hot water systems controlled. If you control the overloader on a heating you have a real problem,” Mr Joyce said.

“Do you think that could happen here?” Barr asked.

“I’m not a moron. But I am across the threat that any cogent and proper authority says; then I don’t dismiss it.”

Senior government frontbencher and Environment Minister, Ms Plibersek, said there were “computers in everything”, so the government’s cyber security strategy was funded to the tune of $600m.

“This is something that security agencies have been looking at for some time,” she said of the foreign-made computer device issue.

After a disjointed back-and-forth, Ms Plibersek was fed up.

“It would be really nice to finish a sentence,” she said.

“You can put a computer on your desk, it can be remotely accessed, your microphone and camera turned on.

“That’s why it’s so important that our security agencies are really on top of this and that’s why we take their advice so seriously.”

Neither politician wants all Chinese imports banned.

“He’d have to throw out his mobile if that’s the case,” Ms Plibersek quipped.

“Now it’s my turn, Tanya,” Mr Joyce gibed.

“I haven’t said ban a thing. I said make sure we’re precautionary, diligent and (have) oversight.”

Both MPs agreed ASIO should be supported to do its job and monitor any potentially risky imported devices.

The last car to be built in Australia rolled off the assembly line in Adelaide seven years ago.

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