Labor’s Tangney MP Sam Lim schooled in cyber-security after phone hacking claims

Tangney MP Sam Lim has been schooled in cyber-security and handed a new phone after claiming he was hacked in December.

The Labor politician had claimed his phone “may have been compromised” and used to spread “scary” misinformation about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in mid-December last year.

The messages were sent in the wake of the arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue from Mr Lim’s phone to a community WhatsApp channel.

They claimed Mr Albanese suggested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should consider the Melbourne attack was likely the result of radicals “who had had enough of the continued aerial bombing of thousands of innocent children and women in Gaza by his single minded troops”, and that he “might well be remembered in history as another hegemon”.

During a Senate estimate hearing in Parliament House on Monday, it was revealed Parliament’s security team proactively reached out to the Perth Labor politician after media reports his phone was compromised.

Department of Parliamentary Services Chief Information Officer James Lawson, however, wouldn’t provide the outcome of the investigation despite repeated questioning from WA Liberal senator Matt O’Sullivan.

“We’ve worked closely with Mr Lim’s office, and we’ve undertaken a range of different actions, including recovery of the device and also we’ve run some human centric cyber information sessions as well,” Mr Lawson said.

Mr Lawson said all parliamentarians are briefed on their responsibilities regarding cyber security and disinformation, with additional sessions when MPs or Senators travel or commence risk related work.

He described the current cyber security environment as “pervasive” and parliamentarians as “high-value targets” for hackers particularly when they travel.

“Parliamentarians, they travel in a range of different situations where devices can be more exposed to compromise,” he said.

Mr Lim had issued a denial he was the author after screenshots of the post were shared in Perth political circles and in the hands of the association and other prominent Jewish advocacy groups.

The message included a quote he claimed could be attributed to Albanese made in response to “Murdoch mercenaries and others”.

He initially blamed the comment in the WhatsApp channel on “someone from Brisbane” despite appearing under his name.

Mr Lawson described reports like Mr Lim’s as “relatively rare”.

“When they do come through out of an abundance of caution, we offer to parliamentarians to change the device out,” Mr Lawson said.

Australian Jewish Association had called for Mr Lim’s resignation in a letter sent to the first-term Tangney MP — who was a former WA police officer and dolphin trainer.

At the time, Albanese’s office confirmed the Prime Minister never said the supposed quote, but declined to comment further.

Mr Lim has been contacted for comment.