Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane China-link raids underline ASIO’s anxiety

Raids on the home of a NSW Labor MP were driven by deep security concerns he could be ‘taking instructions’ as a ‘tasked individual’ of the ­CCP.

NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane arriving as AFP officers raid his Rockdale home. Picture: Jonathan Ng

ASIO’S extraordinary raids on the home and parliamentary ­office of a NSW Labor MP were driven by deep security concerns he could be “taking instructions” as a “tasked individual” of the ­Chinese Communist Party acting in hostile opposition to Australia’s interests, say security experts.

Further details on the key reasons behind ASIO launching one of its most serious investigations in decades into Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane emerged on Sunday as NSW party leader Jodi McKay confirmed he would be suspended from parliament.

Based on information she had received in a briefing from investigating agencies, Ms McKay said she had unanimous ALP leadership team support to move for Mr Moselmane’s suspension from his upper-house seat when parliament resumed on August 4.

The NSW Opposition Leader stopped short of demanding Mr Moselmane’s resignation from parliament, acknowledging he had not been charged with an ­offence, but she flagged possible support for his complete ejection from parliament, saying such a decision was “up to him at this point” and she hoped he was ­“actively considering it”.

Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane and his staff member John Zhang.

About a dozen ASIO agents and plain-clothed Australian Federal Police officers conducted an early Friday morning raid on Mr Moselmane’s south Sydney home at Rockdale, followed by another on his 11th-floor Parliament House office. The raids amount to the first test of enhanced national security and espionage laws passed by federal parliament in late 2017. Agents were seen leaving with files and bags.

The home and business address of Mr Moselmane’s part-time staffer, Chinese-born John Zhang, were also the subject of a search warrant in attempts to gather evidence about whether or not the Chinese government might have sought to influence the Labor MP, and others.

The raids came just a week after serious cyber-attacks on all levels of Australian government, which security agencies believe emanated from China. Mr Moselmane has made no comment since Friday, although his brother, Shawki, claimed the Labor MP had “nothing to do with the Communist Party of China” and the raids were fuelled by racism.

The Labor MP has made nine trips to China paid for by the CCP. He has also made numerous public comments supporting Beijing government foreign policy, including his claim that “the only way for China to reach its potential is to force a change of rules and create a new world order”.

Mr Moselmane was pressured to step aside as assistant upper-house president in April when he praised China for its swift actions in containing COVID-19, despite evidence indicating Beijing covered up the outbreak in Wuhan.

Speaking on Nine’s 60 Minutes, international security expert Neil Fergus said ASIO would “not have taken this step lightly” in launching raids against a serving MP. Mr Fergus, a former diplomat and security adviser, said ASIO was looking for evidence to prove whether or not its target was “taking instructions”.

“So the communications between a person who is a suspect in this situation and people who would be providing instructions — that becomes key because it means that they are not using their own independent thought processes or working within their own political structure, they are a tasked individual,” he said.

The Australian is not suggesting ASIO’s concerns are justified, just that is what is being considered and investigated. The ASIO raid required approval from Attorney-General Christian Porter, while the AFP’s involvement required approval from a Federal Court judge.

Mr Moselmane is a founding member of the Australian Chinese Association and honorary chairman of the Australian Shanghainese Association. Both are linked to Beijing’s main network for spreading CCP influence around the world, its United Front Work Department.