Greens leader Richard DiNatale has slammed as "highly inappropriate" a move to inquire into foreign political donations and influence-buying within Australia's governing parties via the secretive Parliamentary Standing Committee on Intelligence and Security.
The Greens believe the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters is the appropriate mechanism rather than the often closed and exclusively Labor-Coalition constituted Intelligence and Security committee.
![Senator Richard DiNatale is seeking access to intelligence committee hearings.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170615081147im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/k/f/i/d/o/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwqwci.png/1497508407894.jpg)
The minor party has also ratcheted up the pressure on the government over former trade minister Andrew Robb who took an $880,000 job with a Chinese firm immediately upon leaving Parliament.
Mr Robb, the key architect of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement signed a "confidential" consultancy deal the day before the last election to work for the billionaire businessman Ye Cheng, who is regarded as well-connected with the Chinese Communist Party.
As Labor tried unsuccessfully to probe the government in question time, suggesting Mr Robb's contiguous employment could breach the ministerial code of conduct, the Greens attempted to have Mr Robb called as a witness to another Senate inquiry, looking at the case for a national anti-corruption watchdog.
That move failed but Greens senator Lee Rhiannon did convince fellow members to have ASIO attend at a later date tp provide evidence over donations concerns and methods of foreign interference.Â
Federal Parliament on Wednesday descended into acrimony amid allegations of impropriety and suggestions of undue influence associated with previous Chinese donations to both sides of politics.
Labor baited Foreign Minister Julie Bishop about the establishment of the curiously-named "Julie Bishop Glorious Foundation" by one prominent Chinese business woman.
That followed Ms Bishop raising serious concerns over past links between the Labor frontbencher Joel Fitzgibbon, who was defence minister in 2009, and the Chinese socialite Helen Liu.
Mrs Liu, from whom Mr Fitzgibbon had accepted sponsored travel in 2002 and 2005 is suspected by Australian authorities of being a senior functionary in the Chinese foreign intelligence community.Â
Ms Bishop said Opposition Leader Bill Shorten had "failed a fundamental test" after it was revealed that Mr Fitzgibbon, "while serving in a previous Labor government, as Australia's minister for defence and as a member of the National Security Committee, had a benefactor with alleged close links to a foreign intelligence service".
She called on Mr Shorten to seek direct advice from ASIO Director-General Duncan Lewis.
Speaking after, Mr Fitzgibbon described the claims as reckless by Ms Bishop.Â
Spurred on by revelations of foreign interference raised by a joint Fairfax Media /Four Corners investigation, Senator Di Natale has written to Mr Turnbull seeking access to the intelligence committee hearings.
"The allegations raised in this investigation are of the utmost seriousness and, if true, strike at the heart of our democratic system," he wrote.
"I request that the Australian Greens and one other member of the crossbench have representation and full member rights on this committee, should it decide to investigate this matter.
"It is highly inappropriate for . . . the two major parties to investigate their own alleged misdeeds (and) is hardly the best way to restore public confidence in our democracy."
Two senior members of cabinet privately agreed with the sentiment being expressed by the Greens. One told Fairfax Media that any corrupt MPs or party officials in whichever party should be quickly exposed and tossed out, no matter how embarrassing. Another minister agreed that JSCEM was the right place to examine foreign donations and expose the scale of the donations problem.Â
44 comments
Comment are now closed