Shorten cornered on Huang lunch

Bill Shorten is feeling the heat over his lunch with Chinese Communist Party-linked Huang Xiangmo.

Huang Xiangmo.

Liberal MPs have turned up the heat on Bill Shorten for having had a lunch with the Chinese Communist Party-linked Huang Xiangmo in 2015 after he gave the Labor Party a $55,000 donation.

Liberal powerbroker Michael Sukkar said the ABC’s Four Corners report on Monday night — which revealed that Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton had a meeting with the Chinese billionaire who paid at least $10,000 to former Liberal minister and lobbyist Santo Santoro — should also have referenced the Opposition leader’s lunch with Mr Huang.

“I think it’s remarkable that the man who wants to be prime minister, who in a matter of weeks wants to be prime minister, was paid $55,000 to have lunch with this man,” Mr Sukkar told the ABC yesterday. “Where is the Bill Shorten Four Corners?

“We had a luncheon between this man and Peter Dutton and two months later, Peter Dutton cancelled this man’s visa. Bill Shorten with his $55,000 function should answer some questions.”

Mr Huang’s property company, Yuhu Group, said in documents lodged with the City of Ryde it donated to the Labor Party for a “boardroom lunch” with Mr Shorten. Labor has since called for a ban on foreign political donations.

Earlier yesterday, Malcolm Turnbull — who as prime minister attended several events with Mr Huang — lashed out at Mr Dutton, who challenged him for the Liberal leadership last year.

“He’s supposed to be the minister responsible for ensuring that our politics is not influenced by foreign actors,” Mr Turnbull said.

“Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister and you can’t wave this off and say this is all part of gossip and the bubble.

“This has to be addressed at the highest level of security, priority, urgency by the Prime Minister. The buck stops with him.”

Mr Morrison slapped down Mr Turnbull’s call to investigate the Home Affairs Minister, declaring he was certain there was no wrongdoing. “I have spoken to Peter Dutton and there are no issues here that have troubled me,” Mr Morrison said. “There is no suggestion that Peter, in any way shape or form, has been provided with any benefit here.

“The individual we’re talking about here had his visa cancelled, while he was out of the country, by Peter Dutton’s department.”

Mr Dutton, the minister in charge of immigration, met with Mr Huang in 2016 when the major political donor was applying for Australian citizenship.

Mr Dutton has denied the citizenship was discussed at the lunch at a Chinese restaurant and noted he barred Mr Huang from re-entering Australia earlier this year.

“I met with an individual from the Chinese community (Mr Huang) and he was interested obviously in politics and other issues of the day,” Mr Dutton said.

“He didn’t make representations to me in relation to (citizenship) matters.

“As it turns out, this individual is now offshore because an agency within my department took a decision to take certain action in relation to his visa so that person wouldn’t be able to return to Australia. So the suggestion that somehow I’ve provided anything to this individual is just a nonsense.”

One prominent Liberal, friendly with Mr Turnbull, described the intervention by Mr Turnbull as “appalling and disgraceful”.

Another Liberal MP said: “Malcolm wants to run around wallowing in the past. He’s become a miserable ghost himself. He’s going to become the next John Hewson and Malcolm Fraser if you ask me”.

But former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said security agencies should be vigilant in investigating issues regarding national sovereignty. “I more than most have been accused of being excessively suspicious and I remain so. So, I will never dismiss that all issues pertinent to our national sovereignty and security must be held in the absolutely highest regard,” Mr Joyce said.

Former Labor senator Sam Dastyari, a key backer of Mr Shorten, was forced out of politics for his close relationship with Mr Huang, which included warning the businessman Australian authorities may be spying on him.

Nine Network newspapers reported last night former Liberal Party director Brian Loughnane “asked” Mr Dutton to consider a request to meet Mr Huang.

Mr Loughnane told The Australian that he merely passed on a letter of request from Mr Dastyari on behalf of Mr Huang in 2014.