Senator Sam Dastyari hounded top defence officials with questions on China’s concerns over 115 times
FORMER Prime Minister John Howard has called on embattled Labor senator Sam Dastyari to resign over his loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.
NSW
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JOHN Howard has called on embattled Labor senator Sam Dastyari to resign over his loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.
The former prime minister was campaigning with Liberal candidate John Alexander ahead of the Bennelong by-election in Eastwood this morning when he made the damning comments.
“I think Sam Dastyari should leave the parliament. I mean look at the contrast... What does he do? He says, ‘Right, I’m out and I’ll put myself in the hands of the people’. Can I make the point anymore strongly?” Mr Howard said.
“But who is standing beside Sam Dastyari? Bill Shorten, because he relies on his factional support. I think the sight of somebody mouthing the lines of the Chinese government or the Chinese Community Party, because they’re one and the same thing, that’s just a statement of the obvious.
“I think the sight of him mouthing the lines of the Chinese Community Party and the Chinese government ought to disqualify him from parliament.”
This comes after The Daily Telegraph revealed Labor Senator Sam Dastyari hounded senior defence officials with at least 115 questions representing China’s concerns about issues such as the South China Sea and Australia’s friendship with Japan over a three-year period.
Mr Dastyari’s repeated grilling of then Secretary of the Department of Defence Dennis Richardson and former DFAT Secretary Peter Varghese contradict his claims he simply misspoke when supporting a pro-China line on the South China Sea issue in a press conference alongside donor Huang Xiangmo.
Instead, it was a position he had articulated over and over, causing consternation in parliamentary estimates committee hearings.
The Daily Telegraph can also reveal a blazing row took place between Bill Shorten and Tony
Burke when the Opposition Leader decided to ban Chinese donations earlier this year.
It is understood Mr Burke, who had also developed close connections with donors, was furious with Mr Shorten for depriving Labor of substantial Chinese funding.
Mr Shorten’s office was given two days to respond to questions over the dispute with Mr Burke over deciding not to accept Chinese donations.
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His spokesman said that they would not comment on private conversations. Mr Burke declined to comment.
An analysis of estimate committee transcripts shows Mr Dastyari has framed 115 questions representing China’s concerns to senior foreign affairs and defence bureaucrats since he was appointed to the Senate in August 2013.
Mr Dastyari tabled and quoted from a December 2013 story from official Chinese newsagency, Xinhua News, in which China expressed “strong dissatisfaction with Australia’s statement over the establishment of the East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone, urging for proper handling of the sensitive issue.”
Quoting the article, Mr Dastyari repeatedly pressed Mr Varghese about how China perceived an official communique from a Japanese, Australia and United States trilateral meeting.
“The Xinhua News, I am sure you are aware of the paper; but probably not the story from 7 December. I am going to read this to you,” Mr Dastyari said to Mr Varghese in a February 2014 hearing.
In the testy session, Mr Dastyari also grilled Mr Varghese on what he claimed was Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s preferential treatment of Japan over China.
Mr Dastyari said: “She is placing the two on a comparable basis in that statement, and my question is, if there is a formal and public rebuke to China over the Air Defence Identification Zone, why wasn’t there a similar process undertaken with Japan over (PM Shinzo) Abe’s Yasukuni Shrine visit if both of them are contributing to tension in the region?”
Mr Dastyari grilled the senior diplomat on why Australia had described Japan as an “ally” and “best friend in Asia” and whether this had “had any negative ramifications”.
In another series of questions, Mr Dastyari claimed the Australian Government was risking the relationship with China: “How are you able to categorise the current foreign policy relationship between Australia and China as strong, when the series of events as outlined has put that relationship at risk?”
On July 2, 2014, Senator Dastyari questioned then Secretary of the Department of Defence Dennis Richardson about Australia taking sides in China’s territorial disputes, and how a communique between Japan, the United States and Australia was prepared.
“How (do) you reconcile that with the argument that others put and that I have put through estimates before that says that our participation in a complicated dispute that is a long-running dispute regarding territorial waters is itself the act of taking a side,” Mr Dastyari said to Mr Richardson.
A year later, on July 4, 2015, he was still interested in why Australia would get involved in China’s territorial disputes.
“It seemed that the interpretation of events, from the Chinese perspective, was that nations such as the US and others – and I would put Australia in that – are taking a position against them within the dispute?”
Three months later, in October 2015, Senator Dastyari questioned Mr Varghese on what the Government was planning to do with regard to freedom of navigation exercises in the South China Sea and whether there was advice about Australia sailing within the 12 nautical mile zone.
Mr Dastyari said last night he was justified in his line of questioning.
“I was doing my job in Senate Estimates holding this hopeless government to account,” he said.
CHINA DOES, SAM SAYS:
ON THE EAST CHINA SEA DEFENCE
China: Establishes Air Defence Indentification Zone for security reasons
“You would acknowledge that it is not insignificant that the Chinese foreign minister, in front of the assembled media, would … publicly rebuke the foreign minister of Australia over a matter like that. That is a significant development, is it not.” - Senator Dastyari
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee Feb 27, 2014
China: Reportedly opposed Australia choosing Japan to build its new submarines.
“I am asking the secretary whether or not he believes the foreign policy implications as described ... risked the potential of hurting our relationship with China.” - Senator Dastyari
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee October 23, 2014
ON THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
China: In dispute with countries concerned with international shipping routes over its assertion of maritime boundaries in the East China and South China seas
“The view is that, if there is a territorial dispute between China and China’s neighbours, why would this be an issue of significance for Australia or an issue that Australia should be involved in? If it is a territorial matter, it should be sorted by those neighbours in that region.” - Senator Dastyari
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee October June 4, 2015
ON ROCKY RELATIONS
China: State media criticises Australia for taking sides in territorial disputes because of its alliance with the US.
“Our participation in a complicated dispute that is a long-running dispute regarding territorial waters is itself the act of taking a side.” - Senator Dastyari
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee October June 2, 2014
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