Prime Minister defends use of private email

“He was murdered in an act of terrorism by a 15-year-old boy, motivated we believe by extremists political and religious views”, Mr Turnbull said.

The spokesman said many MPs and ministers used private messaging systems for “non-sensitive material for reasons of convenience and superior functionality”.

It comes after the The Australian newspaper revealed the PM was using a private email server to communicate with colleagues and journalists.

News Corp on Friday reported Mr Turnbull was running a private email server and using it for official business, rather than government IT systems.

Mr Turnbull noted that politicians regularly communicate with each other on work-related matters through text messaging, which is “probably the least secure form of electronic communication”. But Mr Turnbull told reporters he had sought advice on the situation, and sensitive communications were only sent through government channels.

While there were reports his use of a private email account could pose a security risk and leave him open to hacking, Mr Turnbull said he had never disclosed classified information on non-secure servers.

“All communications or records of a minister which relate to his or her duties are [subject to many exemptions] potentially subject to Freedom of Information whether it is on SMS, a private email server or a Government email server”. Wickr says its messages are encrypted and self-destruct so they can not be traced.

It will be Mr Turnbull’s first overseas visit as the Australian leader, following the ousting of Tony Abbott. It was previously managed by TPP Internet, which was acquired by Net Registry in 2009.

It’s unclear whether Turnbull has used his server for prime ministerial business.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has delivered a public plea for all Australians to foster a culture of mutual respect, following what he has described as a “brutal murder” and “act of terrorism” in Parramatta.

‘Classified information can only be exchanged through government systems.

“There is a serious issue to be addressed here”, Mr Shorten said, adding that he didn’t personally use applications such as Wickr or WhatsApp.

The Prime Minister made the remarks as he announced Australia’s top security officials would meet in Canberra next week to discuss how best to tackle the increasing emergence of violent extremism.