Andrew Bolt: It’s time for Labor to ditch Senator Sam Dastyari
SENATOR Sam Dastyari’s close links to China are well known and the latest revelations leave Labor with no alternative but to expel him, writes Andrew Bolt.
Andrew Bolt
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LABOR must expel Senator Sam Dastyari. How can it trust Beijing Sam with any secret of use to communist China? And if it does trust him with secrets, how can we then trust Labor with Australia’s security? Dastyari’s career should be finished after fresh revelations of his dealings with Huang Xiangmo who, until last week, headed a lobby group linked to the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee.
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Dastyari met Huang last year at the Chinese-born tycoon’s home and warned him his mobile phone could be tapped by our intelligence agencies. He suggested they leave their phones inside and talk outside. This came after ASIO told Labor that Huang was being investigated.
Dastyari’s excuses are pathetic. He says he did not receive or pass on any warnings from ASIO: “I reject any assertion that I did anything other than put to Mr Huang gossip being spread by journalists.” Yes, and? Dastyari clearly thought that “gossip” credible enough to ask Huang to ditch his phone.
He clearly wanted to frustrate a possible attempt by our intelligence agencies to protect
Australia from alleged spies or agents of a communist tyranny, making him prepared to help communist China at the potential cost of Australia’s security.
(Note: Huang denies being a Chinese agent of influence and denies the Australian Council for the Promotion of the Peaceful Reunification of China that he headed was linked to China’s Communist Party.)
This isn’t the first time the influential Senator has helped China. As the NSW Labor secretary, he accepted huge political donations from Huang and his associates. So did the Liberals, and there were reports ASIO warned both parties against getting too close to Huang.
But Dastyari also got Huang to pay a $5000 legal bill and asked another Australian Chinese tycoon, Minshen Zhu, to pay a $1670 travel bill racked up by Dastyari’s office. And then he asked questions in Senate hearings that promoted China’s interests. He also appeared with Huang last year to support China’s theft of the South China Sea, which contains shipping lanes important to Australia.
“On this issue, Australia should remain neutral and respect China’s decision,” a Chinese paper reported him saying, contradicting Labor policy.
Dastyari suggested he was misquoted. This time, he says he’s been misrepresented.
Too bad, Sam. No third chance.
Originally published as Andrew Bolt: It’s time for Labor to ditch Senator Sam Dastyari