Ex-Labor leader Luke Foley has advised Chinese business tycoon Jin Lin

Since quitting politics amid a harassment scandal, Luke Foley has teamed up with a seriously wealthy apartments tycoon.

Former NSW Labor leader Luke Foley is back in business after quitting the leadership amid a sleazy harassment scandal and is personally advising multimillion dollar Aqualand property tycoon Shangjin “Jin” Lin.

The former telemarketer and union organiser, who says he is still “traumatised by the brutal way in which my leadership ended”, has developed a working rapport with the seriously wealthy apartments tycoon, whose family emerged as significant donors to the Labor Party in 2019.

The Chinese-born $659 million developer Lin, who describes politics as “a personal hobby” and who made headlines in 2016 when he bought a Sicilian style mansion Villa Igiea in Vaucluse in a $52.5 million private deal with Austar Communications founder Dr Wayne Burt, is said to have favoured Foley’s leadership before he resigned in 2018.

Ex opposition Labor leader Luke Foley has developed a working rapport with seriously wealthy Chinese-born property guru, Shangjin “Jin” Lin, whose family emerged as significant donors to the Labor Party in 2019.

Jin Lin.

Weeks after he resigned Foley underwent an operation for a cancerous growth to his eye.

A close friend of the former Labor leader says he has been happier since his departure from politics and has reassessed his life priorities.

“He went through a very hard time when he left the leadership and parliament, he’s come out the other side and is focused on consulting and advisory work,” the source said.

“The best thing about leaving politics is the time he has been enjoying with family again.”

Foley stepped down amid allegations he put a hand down the back of ABC journalist Ashleigh Raper’s dress and in her underpants.

He denied the claims, saying they were false.

Three years later, the married father of three has been carving out a lucrative consulting career and was yesterday seen brandishing a motivational book Come Back Summer – When Smith and Stokes Got The Magic Back, by Geoff Lemon.

Foley pictured on Monday.

Geoff Lemon’s book The Comeback Summer details the tough comeback trails of both disgraced former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith and British cricket star Ben Stokes through the World Cup back-to-back with the Ashes.

The book details the tough comeback trails of disgraced former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith and English cricket star Ben Stokes through the World Cup back-to-back with the Ashes.

Keen cricketer Foley, 51, who is still a member of the party, is said to be quietly hoping to make a return to politics in a non-elected role.

A staunch Catholic, he also volunteers for homeless charity Vinnie’s with his wife Edel McKenna who both help out on night patrol feeds and have been seen befriending the rough sleepers around Sydney’s Surry Hills and Martin Place.

Foley has been consulting as an expert providing strategic advice from his Sydney home in Concord West for Blacktown’s independent planning panel, assessing development applications and proposals referred to by council or state government, as well as for Canterbury Bankstown and Burwood councils’ independent planning panels.

Mr Folry has struck up a friendship with former Liberal leader John Brogden. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

He has an established friendship with Lifeline chairman and former NSW Liberal leader John Brogden who invites him to functions and is an active supporter of the mental health charity.

“I asked Luke for a coffee a few years ago to see how he was going in life after politics and asked him to be a guest at a Lifeline fundraising event,” Mr Brogden said.

The former NSW Labor leader resigned in November 2018.

He publicly denied the harassment claims, dismissing Ms Raper’s allegations as “smear”.

The scandal came to light when the governing Liberal Party used parliamentary privilege to raise unspecified allegations of misconduct by Foley.

He vowed to launch defamation proceedings in the Federal Court but dropped the case. Aqualand acknowledged Foley’s advisory role in the past with a spokesman saying: “Mr Foley has provided advice to Jin on a matter in an informal capacity.”