Accordingly, government entities must "prevent the use or installation of DeepSeek products, applications and web services and where found remove all existing instances of DeepSeek products, applications and web services from all Australian Government systems and devices.”

Government departments and agencies will be required to report back to home affairs as soon as possible to ensure the app does not remain on any devices. They are also prevented from reinstalling it.

“AI is a technology full of potential and opportunity but the government will not hesitate to act when our agencies identify a national security risk,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in the statement.

The decision was well-received by government officials and the media.

"I think it's very sensible for the government to act on that. Security advice seems to be quite clear-cut, so we fully support that decision," politician David Coleman said in an interview with Sky News Australia. 

An ABC News representative added, "It's nice to see that the government is showing leadership and getting onto something immediately, rather than allowing events to overtake them before belatedly, they try and mop up the mess. So good decision from Tony Burke on this one."

This week, the New South Wales government reportedly banned DeepSeek, while other state governments were considering options. In 2023, Australia issued a similar ban on video-sharing app TikTok, citing security concerns.