THE prime minister’s department has not taken any action over reports Malcolm Turnbull and government ministers have been using the message service WhatsApp to communicate, a Senate committee has been told.

But Labor has argued the use of the app treats government security with contempt.

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet deputy secretary Elizabeth Kelly told a Senate estimates hearing the issue had not been followed up because the prime minister had made “numerous public statements about the appropriate use of this”.

Special Adviser to the Prime Minister on Cyber Security, Alastair MacGibbon, told a Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee that he had communicated with Mr Turnbull and other colleagues over WhatsApp, but never shared anything sensitive.

media_camera Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Senator Penny Wong has asked the Attorney-General to provide his WhatsApp history. Picture: AAP

Attorney-General George Brandis echoed this, claiming nothing of public sensitivity was ever discussed in WhatsApp messages.

But when asked by Labor’s Penny Wong about whether he would be willing to export his WhatsApp messaging history, Senator Brandis declined.

“So it’s entirely unremarkable but you don’t want it exposed to the public,” Senator Wong said.

The Attorney-General did not respond.

TOP 50 WEBSITES IN TURNBULL’S OFFICE

THESE are the top 50 most viewed websites in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s office since he took over the leadership in September last year.

Among the top websites are The Australian, Google, Google Analytics, Media Portal, news.com.au, the Treasury Department, Tveeder, which records TV text, and Chartbeat, which assists in monitoring website page views and provides real-time website analytics.

media_camera Some of the top domain visits in Malcolm Turnbull's office. Picture: Supplied

The results were provided as part of Senate Estimates, which will be held from today until Friday this week.

Last week the Government confirmed foreign spies had hacked into the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to steal sensitive documents.

The 2016 Threat Report reveals last year’s cyber attack on BOM was the work of a foreign power, which managed to install malicious software and steal sensitive documents.

media_camera Cyber espionage is “alive and well” in Australia. Picture: iStock

But Dan Tehan, the minister assisting the prime minister for cyber security, wouldn’t specify which country, but said it showed cyber espionage was alive and well.

“We have to make sure that we’re taking all the steps necessary to keep us safe, because the threat is there and the threat is real,” he told ABC radio.

media_camera Top 50 domain websites in Malcolm Turnbull's office. Picture: Supplied media_camera The list continued.

This week during Estimates, Senate committees will examine government expenditure as part of the annual budget cycle.

The committees that will convene today are the Environment and Energy, Parliament, Prime Minister and Cabinet, Immigration and Border Protection, Australian Federal Police, and Infrastructure and Regional Development.

Originally published as Labor grills Brandis on WhatsApp use