CCP interference a concern for all political parties

Confirmation of attempts by a foreign power to corrupt an Australian election must raise alarm for all sides of politics. From what has been made public by the highest levels of the nation’s peak security agency, it is known that attempts were made to use offshore resources to subvert preselections. The Morrison government has used the revelations to launch a full-frontal attack on the opposition, pointing to rising tensions in Ukraine as a backdrop to restate Labor’s record on border security. The campaign sets the scene for a khaki election and already has been criticised by China as being “selfish, unethical and dangerous”. But there are good reasons all parties must quickly get their houses in order when it comes to foreign relations.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess has confirmed a wealthy individual dubbed “the puppeteer” was working for a foreign government to get favoured candidates to run for office and, in the process, undermine Australia’s sovereignty. He said the puppeteer provided hundreds of thousands of dollars through an offshore bank account to run foreign-interference operations through a third party with direct links to politicians, political staff and journalists.

Since the success of ASIO in shutting down the operation has become known, public attention has focused on the Chinese Communist Party and the Labor Party in NSW. Mr Burgess subsequently has agreed with comments by federal Labor leader Anthony Albanese that ASIO was not concerned about any current candidates endorsed by the ALP.

Under parliamentary privilege in estimates hearings on Monday, Labor senator Kimberley Kitching said she had been reliably informed that the puppeteer mentioned by Mr Burgess was Chau Chak Wing. Mr Burgess said it was unfair for the senator to ask him that question in public.

Dr Chau is a wealthy property developer who was born in Guandong province and first moved to Australia in the 1980s. He is founder and co-patron of the Australia China Friendship and Exchange Association. On Tuesday afternoon, Dr Chau issued a furious statement labelling the claim by Senator Kitching as “baseless”: “I am a businessman and philanthropist. I have never had any involvement or interest in interfering with the democratic election process in Australia.”

The ASIO revelations that a foreign government had mounted an attempt to subvert the election has emboldened the federal government’s case against the ALP on national security. In parliament on Tuesday, Scott Morrison accused Labor of “always looking to appease” in an increasingly uncertain geostrategic environment dominated by a rising China. But the potential for malign CCP influence has been a problem for all sides of politics, industry and academe. Chinese-born Victorian MP Gladys Liu asked ASIO for help vetting people who requested face-to-face meetings. The Liberal MP also was told by ASIO to consider deleting popular Chinese social media platform WeChat.

But a close relationship between the CCP and Labor has been most pronounced, at both a state and federal level. Labor senator Sam Dastyari resigned from parliament in 2018 after a string of scandals involving close links with CCP figures in Australia. In 2017, Ross Babbage, a former head of strategic analysis at the Office of National Assessments, told The Australian Financial Review Mr Dastyari “may have been recruited as an agent of influence” and part of China’s aim to build local support for its policy positions around the world. The most recent revelations from ASIO suggest these efforts continue and have been stepped up.

It is always important that a distinction be made between people of Chinese origin living in Australia and the malevolent activities of the CCP abroad. Citizens should be thankful that Australia’s security agencies are able to identify and respond to threats of political interference. But political parties and their leaders must be doubly vigilant to ensure members are not vulnerable to the advances and manipulations of foreign powers.