Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I was referring to the example of Senator Sam Dastyari, who publicly contradicted both government and opposition longstanding foreign policy on the South China Sea at the behest of his personal benefactor.

We have now learned that the member for Hunter, when Minister for Defence and a member of the National Security Committee of a Labor government, had a personal benefactor whom it is alleged had close links with the Chinese intelligence service. That now brings to mind a very disturbing incident that occurred when Labor did a sudden about-face on an important foreign policy position and abruptly announced Australia's withdrawal from a quadrilateral security dialogue between Australia, the United States, Japan and India at the behest of China. It begs the question: what role did the member for Hunter play as a member of the National Security Committee and the Minister for Defence in that extraordinary about-face and backflip on the part of the Labor government with no explanation?

It gets murkier, because earlier—I think it was last week—the Fairfax media put a series of questions to the member for Hunter, and in response he said unequivocally, 'I have never written to a Chinese official.' That is what he said. I would invite the member for Hunter to repeat that statement in this House, but then how would he explain his sworn affidavit to the ACT Supreme Court where he lists letter after letter from him to various Chinese officials, members of the politburo, senior members of the Chinese Communist Party, governors and vice- governors? What is it, Member for Hunter—no correspondence with Chinese officials or letter after letter? It is this kind of behaviour that destroys public confidence. (Time expired)

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