Security officers with intimate knowledge of security procedure and operations within Parliament House, who spoke to BuzzFeed News on the condition of anonymity, said staff are under-equipped and not trained to do their job, despite a $126 million security upgrade currently underway.

The white powder was delivered to Malcolm Turnbull’s office in Parliament House in an envelope on Friday. It’s the fourth “powder out of place” incident in parliament since November and has staff raising questions about security in the building.

Turnbull was not in Canberra at the time, as he was delivering the keynote address at the NSW Liberals' federal budget lunch at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel.

A spokesperson for the AFP confirmed there was a suspicious substance incident at Parliament House on Friday May 11. The spokesperson declined to answer any questions from BuzzFeed News about the incident but said the item was subsequently deemed "non-hazardous".



According to a copy of the Parliament House security manual’s “response to white powder detection” section, obtained by BuzzFeed News, an incident involving a “suspect item or security incident where white powder is evident” requires the attendance of the ACT Fire Brigade Hazardous Material (HAZMAT) team. The area is supposed to be cordoned off and isolated until the fire brigade's incident controller gives the all clear or, in the event a hazardous substance is found, "decontamination has been effected and remedial action taken".

The manual also says Parliament House's control room is to shut down the air-conditioning system in the affected zone "to minimise the spread of any airborne contaminants" .