Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Over the last two years, there's been a turnaround to a more realistic view of our major trading partner, China, and its very different political nature from our Australian democracy. Both sides of Australian politics are committed to oppose foreign donations and what's been called foreign interference or the activities of the 'China club'. One of those aspects, in particular, is the Foreign Investment Review Board, which has adopted a much more active role in all of this—a very good role.

Let's remember that the China club got a lot of prominence years ago when the then communications minister and now Prime Minister supported Beijing's telco Huawei constructing and controlling our $50 billion NBN network. Let's also remember that the Western Australian Liberal Party and, in particular, the member for Curtin accepted $230,000 of a $500,000 donation from the Beijing linked Huang Xiangmo Yuhu Group. Let's remember, too, that former minister for trade Andrew Robb took an $880,000 sinecure from the Beijing controlled Landbridge corporation immediately after he ceased office at the 2016 election. Finally let's remember the low point of where our naive attitudes towards China began, and that was when the Liberal government in the Northern Territory sold the port of Darwin, next to our joint Australian-US naval facility, for a trifling $500,000.