Chinese hackers are being pinpointed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) as the ones who stole highly confidential blueprints of the agency's new headquarters in Canberra, according to reports by ABC.

The blueprints, which detail the layout of the building floors, cabling and security systems and server locations, were allegedly taken from a contractor engaged in the project.

"It reeked of an espionage operation. Someone had mounted a cyber hit on a contractor involved in the site," the Four Corners program reported.

"The plans were traced to a server in China."

According to Four Corners, the leakage of this information can potentially endanger the entire organisation by making it vulnerable to attack.

Des Ball, a professor of the Australia National University's Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, suggested.that the theft could enable China to "bug the building."

He said that at this point when the headquarters is almost finished, ASIO has two options in dealing with the problem. One is to accept the situation and just observe utmost caution inside the building, and the other, to follow what the Americans did with their embassy in Washington.

"Rip the whole insides out and to start again," he told the ABC.

Initial reports could not confirm yet when the said theft was committed, or if it poses serious effects on diplomatic relations between the two countries involved.

Just a few weeks ago, Canberra eased on its position towards China saying that it no longer viewed the emerging superpower as a serious threat.

The allegation comes amid growing concern over the rampant and increasing aggressiveness of state-supported Chinese hackers. There are also allegations that confidential documents of the Australian military and foreign affairs departments have been illegally obtained by China.

Companies like BlueScope Steel and Codan, makers of radios used by military and intelligence agencies, are said to have been targeted as well according to the ABC.

The new ASIO headquarters was supposed to open last month but staff members have yet to move into the new location. Sources believe that the delay may have been caused by the alleged theft.

Meanwhile, Four Corners program was also able to interview reliable sources who claim that the "classified email and restricted networks" of Australia's Defence department have been infiltrated.

"A factor of ten times the entire database, or the entire amount of information stored within the Defence Restricted Network, has been leached out over a number of years," one worker was quoted.

Another claimed that a "highly sensitive document" that belongs to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) had likewise been stolen by China.

"It's a project that would give an adversary a significant advantage when dealing with Australia," the source told the ABC.