Sam Dastyari’s career ‘going nowhere fast’, Shorten says

Bill Shorten deflects pressure by accusing the PM of overreaching on Dastyari issue and being ‘Chinaphobic’.

Sam Dastyari is under pressure to quit. Picture: AAP

Bill Shorten declared today that Sam Dastyari’s career is “going nowhere fast” as he accused Malcolm Turnbull of overreaching on the issue and being “Chinaphobic”.

The Opposition Leader sought to deflect pressure being put on him over his relationship with the NSW senator by saying the government was anti-China.

He revealed former prime minister Paul Keating was only paid about $5000 to chair the international advisory council of the state-owned China Development Bank.

“Sam Dastyari exercised poor judgment. I couldn’t have been more frustrated with his conduct,” Mr Shorten said.

“But what I’m not about to do is start saying that, because he exercised very poor judgment, is start joining into the government’s Chinaphobia and try and say that Sam Dastyari is a secret agent of the Chinese. That is complete rubbish.

“I just caution the government: make your political points about Sam Dastyari, but let us not (harm) our relationship with China and start engaging in Chinaphobia.”

.@billshortenmp: @samdastyari exercised very, very poor judgement and I couldn't be any more frustrated with his conduct, but I'm not going to join in on the government's China phobia. MORE: https://t.co/8HXzz2rBXy pic.twitter.com/TqGkTtUbNc

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) December 8, 2017

Mr Shorten claimed the government leaked a story to the Sydney Morning Herald that said Mr Keating may become embroiled in the government’s crackdown on foreign influence in Australian politics.

“I refer to government leaks in the Sydney Morning Herald implying somehow that Paul Keating could be caught up in a mesh of being an agent of foreign influence,” Mr Shorten said.

“Let’s unpack what the government has been peddling: Paul Keating sits on the international advisory board of the China Development Bank. The China Development Bank has a balance sheet three times the size of the World Bank. Keating gets a honorarium of about $5000.

“It has just got ridiculous. John Howard sits on the international advisory board of JPMorgan Chase, an American bank. I’m not saying therefore that makes John Howard an agent of the Americans.

“I get the political attack and I get Dastyari’s very poor judgment and that’s why I have dumped him from positions but we are not going to engage in Chinaphobia. As Turnbull always does, he just overreaches.”

Earlier, Attorney-General George Brandis accused Labor of a “corrupt culture” as he upped the pressure on Senator Dastyari to quit parliament.

Senator Brandis, who last night referred Senator Dastyari to the Senate privileges committee, said the NSW Labor powerbroker should realise the “game is up” and leave parliament.

“Sam Dastyari should go, his leader Mr Shorten has decided he is not fit to hold leadership positions in the Labor Party in the Senate, he was one of the mangers for business in the Labor Party in the Senate, he has been sacked twice in less than 18 months,” Senator Brandis told ABC radio.

“The fact that he has allowed himself to be suborned or compromised by China is now a manifest public fact, he really should go.”

Senator Brandis was granted permission last night to refer Senator Dastyari to a privileges committee to investigate whether he acted as an agent of China.

Senator Brandis said Mr Shorten owed his leadership to the NSW senator.

“He has been very close to Bill Shorten, Bill Shorten really owes his leadership of the Labor Party to Dastyari who did his numbers in the NSW Right and conducted the ballot, a ballot by the way that some people in the Labor Party allege was corrupted,” he said.

“Just as Kristina Keneally owed her position as premier of NSW to Eddie Obeid, Bill Shorten owes his position as leader of the federal Labor Party to Sam Dastyari.

“It is a corrupt culture in the Labor Party, it is a corrupt culture not doubt about it.”