Sam Dastyari refuses to quit Senate amid PM’s calls for him to leave
EMBATTLED senator Sam Dastyari has been “utterly compromised” and can no longer continue to serve in the Australian parliament, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said today.
NSW
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SAM Dastyari has been “utterly compromised” and can no longer continue to serve in the Australian parliament, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said today.
The embattled Labor senator is refusing to quit the Senate as the Coalition all but accuses him of treason over his dealing with a wealthy political donor with strong ties to the Chinese government.
Federal Labor leader Bill Shorten admitted he had lost faith in the one-time powerbroker but was confident Senator Dastyari hadn’t broken any law and was not a security risk.
Ms Bishop, however, says the matter isn’t over and called for his resignation. “Sam Dastyari is utterly compromised,” she told Sky News on Friday.
“He can no longer continue as a senator in the Australian parliament. He has compromised his own position in the most obvious and dramatic way.”
Senator Dastyari yesterday resigned as Labor’s deputy Senate whip after a late-night phone call from Mr Shorten.
That followed revelations he contradicted Labor’s position on the sensitive South China Sea dispute and later provided a misleading explanation of his words.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accused Mr Dastyari of “a failure of loyalty” over the affair.
“This is a senator who has made it abundantly clear that his first allegiance is not to Australia,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Sam Dastyari should get out of the Senate, full stop.”
The Senate yesterday forced Mr Dastyari to appear and provide a detailed explanation of his relationship with Chinese property developer turned political donor Huang Xiangmo, and why he had contacted Mr Huang in person and told him there was a possibility his phone was tapped.
The senator told a Chinese media event last year Labor should stay out of the South China Sea dispute, in which China claims swaths of territory unrecognised by Australia or any other major power.
Labor’s position, to allow the Royal Australian Navy to sail through the area, was announced one day before Mr Huang pulled a $400,000 donation from the party.
Mr Shorten said Mr Dastyari was sacked from the front bench and “he knows that his colleagues are deeply frustrated with him”.
But he said the accusation that Mr Dastyari was a traitor was “rubbish”.
The senator, who has repeatedly denied passing any intelligence information to Mr Huang, said he had already suffered the consequences of his actions having resigned his Labor positions not once but twice.
“At the press conference I made comments that were in breach of Labor Party policy on issues relating to the South China Sea,” he told the Senate.
“A recent audio recording shocked me as it did not match my recollection of events ... I personally take responsibility for the subsequent mischaracterisation.”
Stephen Conroy, Labor’s defence spokesman when Mr Dastyari made those comments to the Chinese media, said he was “disappointed” but “treason was a big call”.
“This has not been proven, and just to make a grab for a bit of publicity, it is very serious,” he said.