Bill Shorten reportedly had private meeting Chinese donor Huang Xiangmo at his home

THE Coalition is calling on Bill Shorten to explain his reported visit to Chinese businessman Huang Xiangmo’s mansion, as ASIO issued a warning.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is under fire. Picture: Kelly Barnes/The Australian

LABOR leader Bill Shorten visited Chinese businessman Huang Xiangmo at his Sydney mansion, reportedly months after the party received a warning from ASIO.

Fairfax Media reports Mr Shorten and his family visited Mr Huang’s home in March 2016 to solicit funds for the Labor Party’s federal election campaign ads.

This was after security agencies briefed ALP national secretary George Wright in October 2015 on Mr Huang’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

However, it is unclear whether the concerns were shared with the opposition leader before his visit.

Huang Xiangmo at the Sydney Opera House. Picture Renee Nowytarger / The Australian

The revelation about his visit comes as Labor senator Sam Dastyari is again embroiled in a scandal involving Mr Huang and Chinese influence on local politicians.

Senior Labor frontbencher Tony Burke says there was a series of security briefings regarding people with ties to China, but the advice received in 2015 wasn’t to stop accepting donations.

“It’s been strengthening over time. In 2015, the answer is no ... we weren’t getting advice that strong as I understand it,” he told ABC radio on Monday.

“As security advice strengthened, Labor took a decision - that the government still hasn’t taken - that for the people who had concerns raised about them we would stop taking donations from them.” Mr Shorten was not personally briefed by ASIO on the issue until late 2016.

Labor senator Sam Dastyari in the Senate chamber. Picture Gary Ramage

He has not denied the visit but pointed out to Fairfax senior government figures including Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop and former PM Tony Abbott, have all socialised with Mr Huang. His office stressed his visiting the businessman did not compromise Australia’s national security and that Labor would “no longer accept donations from Mr Huang”.

“It is unbelievable that Mr Turnbull still refuses to do the same.” Since 2015, Labor has accepted $141,000 in donations from companies related to Mr Huang while the Liberal and National parties have taken nearly $138,000. Quizzed about these donations - which are on the public record - senior cabinet minister Christopher Pyne said he was not aware of any contributions by Mr Huang and wouldn’t comment on them.

“I’m not aware of the circumstances, I don’t know who was warned, by the way, I’m not sure if it was the federal director or the federal leader - it certainly wasn’t me,” he told ABC radio.

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph reports Mr Huang’s former adviser, Tim Xu, has joined the Liberal campaign for John Alexander in the Bennelong by-election.

The Greens say the whole affair underscores the need for a federal anti-corruption watchdog since at the moment there is no formal process to investigate such matters.

“This is a symptom of a much bigger problem,” Senator Peter Whish-Wilson told reporters in Canberra.

Christopher Pyne says Bill Shorten has questions to answer. Picture Gary Ramage

“If we had a federal ICAC we would be referring these issues to a federal independent commission.”

Mr Pyne said Mr Shorten needed to explain his visit given the Labor Party had been warned about Mr Huang.

“He also needs to explain how it was that he thought it was a good idea to bring back Sam Dastyari into the frontbench of the Labor Party months after it was exposed Chinese donors were paying Sam Dastyari’s personal bills and accounts and he has to explain to us all why he himself visited the same Chinese donor in spite of being warned by security agencies that he might be a person of interest,” Mr Pyne told ABC today.