Ex-Labor MP Michael Danby reveals his Penny Wong ‘dressing down’ over China speech

Michael Danby has revealed he was called into Penny Wong’s office following a speech opposing an extradition treaty with China because it would ‘upset Beijing’.

Former Labor MP Michael Danby and Penny Wong. Picture: Stuart McEvoy

Human rights campaigner and former Labor MP Michael Danby has revealed he too was called into Penny Wong’s office and given a “dressing down” for a speech ­opposing an extradition treaty with China because it would “upset Beijing”.

Mr Danby, the deputy chairman of a joint parliamentary committee on treaties, vigorously opposed the proposal in 2017 from then Liberal foreign minister Julie Bishop, saying the extradition treaty would put at risk one million Australians of Chinese ancestry.

Citing a 99.92 per cent conviction rate in Chinese courts, Mr Danby told parliament the only thing worse “than an agreement to hand over intelligence to a country with a 99.92 conviction rate is a ­secret agreement to hand over ­intelligence to a country with a 99.92 conviction rate”.

“What we must not have is this government allowing the country we propose to extradite to to provide a wish list of prisoners it would like to round up,” he said, as the ranking Labor representative on the committee recording Labor’s opposition.

In response to the revelation in The Australian that former Japanese ambassador to Australia Shingo Yamagami was “called in” to Senator Wong’s office over public criticism of China – before Labor was elected in 2022 and she became Foreign Minister – Mr Danby said he too was “dressed down” by Senator Wong.

Mr Yamagami described the summons for an ambassador to be cautioned by “a heavyweight MP of the Labor left” who was not even in government as “extraordinary and unacceptable”.

The then ambassador said he was told in 2021 to come to the parliamentary office “promptly”, where he was cautioned because his “remarks were being used ­politically”.

On Wednesday, Mr Danby told The Australian that Senator Wong gave him a similar “reprimand” in 2017 when he had spoken against the extradition treaty with China.

“Even though I was officially representing the opposition in the chamber and ultimately Labor voted with the crossbench to sink the treaty, Senator Wong summoned me ‘promptly’ to her office to dress me down for my content in the speech,” he said.

Mr Danby said he had not been asked to take a seat when he arrived in the office and felt like he was in a “star chamber” as he was reprimanded for the content of his speech which would upset Beijing.

“She insisted my speech would upset Beijing! That is, my remarks that all criminal prosecutions in China had a 99 per cent conviction rate and the proposed treaty posed a danger to one million Australians of Chinese ancestry,” he said.

Mr Danby said in parliament: “The government also has a duty to ensure people are not subjected to torture, as I said. They do not have such extradition treaties in the US, Britain, New Zealand and Canada, all of whom have refused to enter into extradition treaties with China, for that reason”.

“Such concerns take on new importance in an extradition treaty with that country – particularly when Beijing is pursuing what it calls an ‘international fox hunt’ against businesspeople who may be dual citizens,” he said.

“One key effect in Beijing’s calculations of such a treaty being passed would be the ability of the Chinese communist regime to pressure expatriates in Australia by threatening to charge them in China and then having the ability to extradite them,” Mr Danby said.

“We in this house must not shy away from our responsibility that Australia’s extradition system remains consistent with our legal, moral and ethical obligations without prejudice to China.”

The Coalition push to implement the extradition treaty was opposed by Labor, independents and even some Coalition MPs and senators. The treaty was withdrawn and never implemented.

Comment was sought from Senator Wong.

Senator Wong’s office sent a ­response to questions from The Australian on Wednesday night but did not clarify what its position was on Mr Danby’s claim he was dressed down for possibly upsetting Beijing.

A spokesperson for Senator Wong said: “This is categorically untrue and the latest in a long ­series of slurs, personal denigration and false ­accusations against Senator Wong by Mr Danby.

“Senator Wong’s role is well known in averting John Howard’s extradition treaty, after it was exhumed by the Liberals.

“Minister Wong was clear ­publicly and privately about her opposition to the extradition ­treaty and that position was ­endorsed by the shadow cabinet in March 2017.”