Christopher Pyne met with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo
Christopher Pyne has become the second government minister to be caught up in claims he had a one-on-one meeting with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo.
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Christopher Pyne has become the second government minister to be caught up in claims he had a one-on-one meeting with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo.
It comes after Nine Newspapers reported yesterday Mr Huang was asked by former Liberal minister turned lobbyist Santo Santoro for at least $10,000 to arrange a meeting with then-Immigration Minister Peter Dutton in March 2016.
The billionaire property developer was formerly one of the biggest donors to the Liberal Party.
Mr Huang had his Australian residency revoked and his bid for citizenship knocked back earlier this year after ASIO raised concerns that he posed a risk of engaging in foreign interference on behalf of Beijing.
Nine Newspapers reports Mr Huang also met with Mr Pyne before he was Defence Minister after paying tens of thousands to Mr Santoro.
A spokesman for Mr Pyne confirmed the meeting took place but would not say when.
He told Nine it was “in the normal course” of Mr Pyne’s work.
“It was an introductory meeting. Mr Huang made no requests of the Minister and he has not seen or spoken to Mr Huang since,” the spokesman was quoted by the publication as saying.
Mr Huang was also a Labor party donor and paid $55,000 in October 2015 to attend a fundraising lunch with Bill Shorten.
It also emerged today former Liberal Party federal director Brian Loughnane asked Mr Dutton to consider Mr Huang’s request for a special private citizenship ceremony for his wife and two children.
Mr Dutton later granted the request.
Nine reports Mr Loughnane passed on Labor senator Sam Dastyari’s December 31, 2014 email containing Mr Huang’s request for the private ceremony to Mr Dutton.
“I receive submissions from members of the public and parliament and I passed them on to the relevant minister,” Mr Loughnane told Nine.
Mr Loughnane added that he felt he “couldn’t ignore a Labor senator” but didn’t see himself as involved in the process.
Mr Dastyari had reportedly written that Mr Huang’s request should have bipartisan support.
The latest revelations come after former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said yesterday he was “very, very concerned” about Mr Dutton’s meeting with a Chinese billionaire now banned from re-entering Australia.
Mr Turnbull, who also met Mr Huang on a number of occasions, said: “Scott Morrison is the prime minister and you can’t wave this off and say it is all part of gossip and the bubble. This is the national security of Australia.”
“I think it is very, very concerning and very troubling for anyone.
“This has to be addressed at the highest level of security, priority, urgency by the prime minister. The buck stops with him.”
Mr Dutton yesterday denied any wrongdoing in the meeting, saying: “I’ve never received a dollar from this individual.”
“I had that one meeting with him over lunch. I haven’t seen him since. What’s he got from me? Well, he’s now offshore,” Mr Dutton told reporters in Rockhampton.
- Additional reporting by AAP
Originally published as Christopher Pyne met with Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo
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