ABC slammed over Sam Dastyari ‘infomercial’

The government will seek answers after the broadcaster aired a profile on NSW Labor senator Sam Dastyari.

NSW Labor senator Sam Dastyari was the subject for an ABC Australian Story profile on Monday. Picture: John Feder

The Turnbull government will seek answers from the ABC after the public broadcaster aired a profile on NSW Labor senator Sam Dastyari, sparking criticism it helped promote a book by the ­Iranian-born politician aimed at restoring his public image following scandals involving Chinese donors.

The Australian Story program, aired on Monday, was yesterday attacked by MPs and senators who queried whether the ABC had provided an “infomercial” for Senator Dastyari’s recently released book One Halal of a Story.

Despite the criticism, the ABC yesterday invited Senator Dastyari on to radio for a 12-minute interview in which he mentioned the title of his book six times.

Communications Minister Mitch Fifield yesterday noted criticism from MPs that the ABC was being used to rebuild the former NSW Labor secretary’s public image after he was forced to step down from the opposition frontbench last year for allowing Chinese government-linked donors to pay his personal bills.

“From memory, Australian Story have had profiles on half a dozen serving politicians over the last six or so years,” Senator ­Fifield said. “Given a number of colleagues have raised this ­episode’s content and its timing, I’ll ask the ABC about the background to it.”

It emerged last year that Senator Dastyari had allowed Chinese donors to pay a $1670 travel bill and a $5000 legal bill.

It was later revealed Senator Dastyari had stood next to Yuhu Group boss and ALP donor Huang Xiangmo — who paid the legal bill for the senator — and pledged to respect Beijing’s position on the South China Sea maritime dispute despite it being in conflict with Labor policy.

In 2014, Senator Dastyari urged Australia to drop its ­opposition to China’s “Air Defence Identification Zone” over contested islands in the East China Sea, Chinese media reports said.

Paul Han, an executive of a Chinese government-linked group the Australian Fellowship of China Guangdong Associations, which Mr Huang controls, also worked in Senator Dastyari’s ­office before the election.

Senator Dastyari yesterday defended his decision not to mention Mr Huang in his book, telling The Australian he didn’t want to deflect responsibility for his mistakes on to the shoulders of others.

“I didn’t name any of the individuals involved because, frankly, I thought it would be improper to shift the blame on to them for what I am taking responsibility for myself,” he said. “You’d be hard pressed to find any politician who is prepared to be as honest as I have been in this book.”

Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz yesterday said the ABC, as the national broadcaster, had to be seen by the community as “not being biased in anybody’s favour.”

“To do an Australian Story on a deputy whip in the Senate is passing strange because usually Australian Story is reserved for more prominent individuals,” he told The Australian.

“One wonders why, out of all the parliamentarians they could have chosen, they sought to assist a parliamentarian who is launching a book when his only career highlight thus far has been his disgraceful acceptance of donors’ money to pay personal accounts.”

Crossbench senator Cory Bernardi also dismissed the program as an “infomercial”, suggesting the public broadcaster had been co-opted into a career rejuvenation mission for Senator Dastyari.

“Your antennae pricks up when you’ve got a puff piece coinciding with a book launch,” he said.

“It’s not unusual for people in public office to try to sanitise their history and reinvent themselves, but it shouldn’t be done with the enthusiastic support of our national broadcaster.”

Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said it looked to many like the ABC had provided Senator Dastyari with “new tyres and an oil change” in a media pit stop on his bumpy road to political redemption. “The ABC should have protocols in place before giving a sitting politician this sort of soft exposure, especially given it was timed at a moment when Sam was in overdrive promoting his book and, ultimately, political career. He has been nicknamed ‘Showman Sam’ for a reason,” he said.

Senator Whish-Wilson said he would take the issue up in Senate estimates hearings.

The ABC defended its Australian Story program, saying it had broadcast and published “substantial and comprehensive reporting” on Senator Dastyari’s links to Chinese lobbyists.

“While giving viewers the ­essential background on these ­issues, Australian Story took the story further, getting Mr Dastyari to respond to lingering and serious questions about his conduct as a senator,” a spokeswoman said.

“There is clear public interest in hearing Mr Dastyari’s answers to previously unanswered alle­gations. The program also took into account legal considerations.”

Senator Dastyari told ABC radio yesterday he had “always ­attracted a bit of controversy” but argued it was a coincidence the program had run at the same time he was releasing his book: ­“Frankly I think attacking the ABC here is a bit ridiculous. The timing of all this had more to do with the fact I was going on a self-funded trip to my village in Iran for my cousin’s wedding.”