Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Will the Prime Minister advise the House what the government is doing to protect Australia's sovereignty against foreign influence? Is the Prime Minister aware of Australia's sovereignty being compromised?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. The first responsibility of every government is to keep Australia safe. That is our job. That's our No. 1 priority. And there are many overt security threats: North Korea, Islamist terrorism, violent criminal gangs. But it also means countering the threat posed by foreign interference, by those people or foreign governments who seek to interfere with and influence our political processes and, in so doing, to corrupt our democracy.

We cannot allow the sovereignty of Australia to be compromised in this way. It is the responsibility of this government and this parliament. This should not be a partisan issue. This should be one where we all stand and say, 'We will together upgrade our laws to keep our democracy safe.' Surely that is the least we can ask of every member of this parliament.

What we have announced today and what we'll introduce into the parliament this week are changes to the law relating to foreign donations but above all relating to foreign interference. As I've described with the Attorney-General and the Minister for Finance, we do need changes to the law to ensure that those who seek to lobby and influence public opinion, parliamentary activities and government actions on behalf of foreign interests should be up-front about it. They should be on a register. And those who do so covertly, contrary to our national interest, should be paying a price under the criminal law for that criminal action.

Recently we have seen Senator Dastyari put at risk the security of our nation. The Labor Party think it's a big joke. They do; they think it's a big joke. They think that it's okay for a Labor senator to take money for himself and then go and change policy—and then go and read out talking points that could have been written in Beijing on the subject of the South China Sea. And then, when he had reason to believe his benefactor, Mr Huang, may have been under surveillance from Australian security services, he rushed to Mr Huang's side to tip him off and make sure that, when they had a chat, it was without any of the phones being nearby.

This is a test of the character of the Leader of the Opposition. Does he stand for Australia? Does he stand up for our national security? If he does then he knows Dastyari has to go. (Time expired)

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I remind the Prime Minister he will refer to senators by their correct titles.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday the Prime Minister's media team distributed a photograph of the Leader of the Opposition with Mr Huang. Can the Prime Minister explain why the photograph was cropped so that the Prime Minister himself was cut out of the photo?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Watson is feebly defending the Leader of the Opposition, who—

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Members on both sides! The member for Isaacs will remove the prop or he will remove himself. The Prime Minister has the call.

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As an act of kindness, I should have stopped him.

Opposition members interjecting—

The Treasurer is a compassionate man, and he knew we should have stopped the member for Watson from going down this line. Yesterday, a photograph was produced of a street scene in Sydney with me and many other people, including Mr Huang. I think it was a Chinese New Year function. Thousands of people were there. And guess who else was there? The Leader of the Opposition! Fair enough. I make no criticism of him being there. Half of Sydney was there. But what I do criticise the Leader of the Opposition for is this: he has belittled and betrayed Australia by leaving Senator Dastyari in the Senate. I'll tell you this: Senator Dastyari sold out Australia. The Labor Party have made themselves the subject of contempt everywhere, and nowhere more so than in China.

Mr Danby interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne Ports!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can you imagine how the Chinese government would look at this alternative Prime Minister?

Mr Danby interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne Ports is warned!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

They'd say, 'This guy was prepared to allow one of his front bench to switch on a matter of national security in return for $1,600!' I'll tell you what: Senator Dastyari's integrity, and the Labor Party's foreign policy, was pretty cheap; it was pretty easy to acquire—and that is exactly what happened. Labor will be held in contempt. China respects strength. They respect honesty. They expect the Australian government to stand up for Australia's interests and to be frank and honest. And when we differ they expect us to do so honestly, not sell out Australia for a few thousand dollars.

Mr Danby interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Melbourne Ports has been warned!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And then Labor tried to suggest that this is all Senator Dastyari's own errors of judgement. 'Oh dear, Senator Dastyari won't get any more chances other than the three or four he's had already,' says the Leader of the Opposition. And what do they do? Nothing. Zero. Senator Dastyari has sold Australia's security interests out. And this man who wants to be Prime Minister of Australia will not move. I'll you why: it's because Senator Dastyari put the Leader of the Opposition in his job, and he's worried that, without him, he won't— (Time expired)