Stuart Robert China trip: Joyce sees no evidence of wrongdoing

Barnaby Joyce offers qualified support for besieged minister Stuart Robert ahead of an imminent frontbench reshuffle.

New Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce sees no evidence of wrongdoing by Minister for Human Services and Veterans Affairs Stuart Robert.

Barnaby Joyce has offered qualified support for besieged minister Stuart Robert ahead of an imminent frontbench reshuffle, saying he’d seen no evidence of wrongdoing in relation to his controversial trip to China.

Malcolm Turnbull has sought departmental advice amid revelations Mr Robert helped his friend, Liberal Party donor Paul Marks, sign a deal in China with state-backed mining company Minmetals while he was assistant minister for defence.

Mr Robert has denied breaching the ministerial code of conduct, arguing he was on leave and attended the meeting with Chinese officials in a “private” capacity, despite him meeting with the Chinese vice-minister for resources during the trip.

He also charged taxpayers $900 in flights and travel allowance while on the way to a ­private trip to China – including an airfare to Sydney for what he claims was “official business” – but has refused to provide details of his taxpayer-funded activities.

Mr Joyce said he would wait “on all the facts as they come in” but said he’d seen no evidence of wrongdoing by Mr Robert.

“What is it that he has done wrong? What is his crime? Can someone please tell me what the crime is here?” he said.

“If meeting people in China is a crime, then every politician in this building is gone.”

Bob Carr, a former Labor foreign minister, said ministers “never cease to be a minister” even when they take private leave.

“You never cease to be a minister. I couldn’t have said I’m taking private leave as foreign minister of Australia and I’m going up to China to launch a mate’s company; you can’t do that,” Mr Carr told Network Seven.

Mr Carr predicted Mr Turnbull would demote Mr Robert from the ministry, ending the controversy and giving “clear air” to the government.

“For a week it’s been terrific news for Labor, but it will be settled and Labor will face the challenge of a Prime Minister whose popularity will be diminished but still there as a dominating factor in the election lead-up.”

Opposition frontbencher Anthony Albanese said Mr Robert had “declared himself guilty as charged”.

“The rules are very clear … that you can’t act as a private citizen in the interests of a company while you are a minister,” Mr Albanese said.

“This is a junior defence minister going into China, in the interests of a private company, not telling the Department of Defence … not telling Foreign Affairs and Trade, attending meetings with a Chinese government minister with the company present but no one from the Australian bureaucracy in terms of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

“This parrot is dead.”