Labor MP Linda Burny met Chinese billionaire donor she criticised Sam Dastyari for meeting

THE first Labor MP to publicly suggest Sam Dastyari should resign because of his links to a Chinese political donor herself met with the same billionaire developer only weeks before being elected to federal Parliament last year.

THE first Labor MP to suggest Sam Dastyari should resign ­because of his links to a Chinese political donor herself met with the same billionaire developer only weeks before being elected to federal Parliament last year.

Linda Burney, the former deputy NSW Labor leader, met Huang Xiangmo at the North Sydney office of his firm Yuhu Group in June last year, one month before the July election which propelled her into the federal seat of Barton.

Linda Burney won the federal seat of Barton and became the first Aboriginal woman to serve in the House of Representatives. Picture: Kym Smith

That meeting came months after reports began to emerge that Mr Dastyari, who resigned on Tuesday, had legal expenses paid for by Yuhu, which was ­already a major donor to both Labor and the Coalition.

Ms Burney’s contact with Mr Huang, confirmed to The Daily Telegraph by two sources with detailed knowledge of the meeting, was in the same month that another company associated with the billionaire made a $30,000 donation to Labor.

Electoral returns show NSW Labor received the don­ation on June 9 last year from Chaoshan No. 1 Pty Ltd, registered at Yuhu Group’s add­ress and whose only shareholder resides in the same property as Mr Huang.

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YuHu chairman Huang Xiangmo pictured at the Sydney Opera House. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

Senator Sam Dastyari at his press conference on Tuesday to announce his resignation. Picture: Perry Duffin

There is no evidence the ­donation was related to the meeting and it is unclear whether the meeting took place before or after the sum was donated.

Ms Burney on Monday ­became the first Labor figure to publicly suggest Mr Dastyari should “consider his position” after a string of revelations about his connection with Mr Huang and comments he had made contradicting Labor’s position on China.

Mr Dastyari resigned but there is resentment within the dominant right faction of NSW Labor about the push for him to leave the Senate entirely.

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Ms Burney yesterday confirmed she met with Mr Huang, “as has the Prime Minister, Julie Bishop, Tony Abbott, Barnaby Joyce and ­Andrew Robb”.

Huang Xiangmo of the Yuhu group.

“Our discussion was brief and touched upon the Chinese community in Hurstville,” she said. “I understand donations have been made from Mr Huang to both sides of politics. Labor no longer accepts donations from foreign donors.”

Australian intelligence agencies have warned major parties since 2015 about Chinese interference in Australian politics through donations, including those from Mr Huang, who has deep ties with the ­Chinese government.

Labor leader Bill Shorten visited Mr Huang three months before Ms Burney, before he was personally briefed about ­security concerns over the donor’s links with China.

A Labor source said Mr Huang’s June meeting with Ms Burney was one of a number with candidates on both sides of politics who had Chinese communities in their electorate.