Mr Morrison’s WeChat account, which has 76,000 subscribers, is the Federal Government’s main tool for communicating with Chinese Australians.
But the account was blocked and renamed “New Australian Chinese Life” and its description changed to “provide information about overseas Chinese living in Australia”.
The Prime Minister’s Office attempted to contact the Chinese-owned app to regain access to the account, but there was no response.
WeChat is regularly monitored and censored by the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
The incident today prompted politicians to boycott the app.
Senator James Paterson, chairman of the House Joint Intelligence Committee, told 2GB radio it was “very concerning”.
“What the Chinese government has done is in fact foreign interference in our democracy and in an election year.
“There is no longer any reason for Australian politicians to be there if the Chinese government is going to set the terms of the debate.”
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese’s WeChat account remains unchanged.
