Northern Territory water licence given to group with China ties

The NT has awarded its largest-ever groundwater licence to a firm part-owned by a media mogul and political donor with alleged links to the Chinese government.

Tommy Jiang.

The Northern Territory has awarded its largest-ever groundwater licence — against the wishes of some traditional owners — to a firm part-owned by a Melbourne-based media mogul and political donor with alleged links to the Chinese government.

Tommy Jiang, also known as Jiang Zhao Qing, is involved with Australian Chinese-language news­papers and with a broadcast network part-owned by China Radio International, ­according to corporate filings.

He has been linked to political fundraising efforts on behalf of former prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott, to an ­adviser to the Andrews government’s Belt and Road Initiative, and to the controversial Victorian Liberal MP Gladys Liu.

A report about Chinese influence released last year by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute mentioned Mr Jiang dozens of times, connecting him to the United Front Work Department — an arm of the Chinese Communist Party.

The licence to extract up to 40,000ML per year — enough to fill almost 17 Olympic-sized swimming pools — from the desert ­region around Tennant Creek was issued to Fortune Agribusiness Fund Management earlier this month.

According to Australian ­Securities & Investments Commission records, Fortune is a company with $100 worth of share capital split 60-40 between Tred Nominees and Golden Wattle Agriculture.

Tred Nominees is Mr Jiang’s corporate vehicle. He is the company’s sole director and co-owns it with Fan Dan Dan (understood to be his wife), according to ASIC.

Other documents show Tred has ties to Mr Jiang’s China-linked media businesses and to other parts of his empire, which includes wine exports, healthcare, property and golfing.

The Australian is not suggesting Mr Jiang has engaged in any wrongdoing.

Mr Jiang was on Fortune’s board from its registration in 2015 until May 2019. The firm is now directed by Liu Joe Dong (who independent Chinese media reports describe as Mr Jiang’s right-hand man), chair Peter Wood, and another person, Jiang Rebecca Xiue.

ASIC also lists Mr Liu and Ms Jiang as directors of several other of Mr Jiang’s businesses. Mr Wood co-owns and directs Golden Wattle with a person called Zou Jin Zhang. Mr Wood and Mr Zou are also directors of Sino Water International, which is part-owned by China-based Jiangsu Water Resources Foreign Economic Co-operation and Jiangsu Xinshui Technology Development, ASIC records show.

Fortune will not have to pay for the water, which it says it plans to use for horticulture. However, there are suspicions among environmentalists and some industry players that the company aspires to join the ranks of NT pastoralists trying to grow cotton.

Shortly before the licence was granted, the Central Land Council revealed it had consulted with ­Native Title holders and residents in the region around Singleton Station (purchased by Fortune in 2016), many of whom were against the water licence.

Mr Wood told The Australian that although Mr Jiang was his company’s biggest shareholder, he was not actively involved in running the business.

He said the company was not using foreign capital and did not have overseas links. Sino Water International, a firm that ASIC records show is part Chinese-owned and directed by Mr Wood, was not active and not involved with Fortune.

An NT government spokesman said the water extraction approval given to Fortune looked only at water allocation and was now in its 30-day appeal period.

The Australian was unable to contact Mr Jiang for comment.