This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A Chinese student is under investigation for suspected industrial espionage after he allegedly accessed highly sensitive data while working at a CSIRO nanotechnology laboratory in Melbourne.

The activity of the postdoctoral student was allegedly detected last week by CSIRO security processes, Fairfax has reported.

“The CSIRO became aware of a matter involving an employee suspected of unauthorised use of CSIRO computers,” a spokesman, Huw Morgan, told Guardian Australia.

“We consider this a very serious matter and have referred it to the Australian federal police. It is not appropriate for us to release any further details at this time.”

The AFP told Guardian Australia an investigation into the matter was ongoing. No one had been arrested yet and no charges had been laid.

The man under investigation had been working in the nanotechnology laboratory, which works closely with the Department of Defence’s Defence Science and Technology Organisation.

Fairfax reported the investigation was focusing on whether the data accessed had been shared with a third party or foreign authority.

Tensions between China and Australia are strained after the foreign minister, Julie Bishop, expressed concern over Beijing’s declaration of an “air defence zone” over disputed territory.

China's foreign ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, labelled her statements “irresponsible”.

The investigation comes to light amid several other Australian spying scandals. A key witness for Timor-Leste’s espionage case against Australia in the international court was allegedly searched and detained by Australian intelligence authorities, according the ABC on Tuesday. The senior retired Australian Secret Intelligence Service agent was allegedly going to provide evidence that Australia bugged the Timorese cabinet in 2004.

Guardian Australia revealed on Monday that Australia offered to share data information gathered on ordinary Australians with foreign intelligence partners. The revelations came from the same cache of documents that showed Australia tried to monitor the phones of the Indonesian president, his wife and several key advisers.

The Department of Defence has been contacted for comment.