Turnbull, Shorten laud Dastyari developer event

Leaders have backed an Australian-Chinese event organised by the man whose dealings with Dastyari led to his Senate exit.

Malcolm Turnbull, Bill Shorten, and all state and territory leaders have endorsed a major Australian-Chinese community event organised by Huang Xiangmo, whose dealings with Sam Dastyari led to the Labor senator’s resignation from parliament.

The Commemorative Gala Dinner, backed by former political donor Mr Huang, once described by the Prime Minister as “a foreign national with close links to a foreign government”, was held at Sydney Town Hall on Sunday to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Chinese migration to Australia.

Historian Paul Macgregor, who studies the Australian-­Chinese ­diaspora, said yesterday Mr Huang’s role was about corralling the Chinese communities of Australia under his banner.

Mr Dastyari resigned after reportedly telling the Chinese-Australian property ­developer his phone was most likely being tapped by intelligence agencies.

As a result of Mr Dastyari’s ­associations with Mr Huang, Mr Turnbull said: “Whose side is (Mr Dastyari) on? Is he on the side of the agencies that keep us safe or is he on the side of a foreign ­government?”

Mr Huang runs Yuhu Group, which bought the One Circular Quay site on Sydney Harbour and the Jewel Residences on the Gold Coast from Chinese property giant Wanda earlier this year.

Invitations to the event identified Mr Huang as the organiser.

The event has been the subject of Chinese-Australian media reports and yesterday The Daily Chinese Herald had a picture of Mr Huang on the front page with letters of support from all state and federal leaders.

The event included about 280 community organisations, and Mr Macgregor said it cemented the role of Beijing-linked groups such as the Australian Council for the Promotion of Peaceful Reunifi­cation of China as the “natural leader of the Australian Chinese communities … Grand events such as this have the appearance of being a unifying activity … but in fact are very selective.

Former Labor Senator Sam Dastyari. Picture: AAP

“There were no groups of Taiwanese or Hong Kong emigres on the participation list. Ethnic Chinese migrants from Southeast Asia are also mostly ­absent. The event provides a grand opportunity for organisers to show they have widespread support from Australian parliamentarians … and helps to make an organisation such as the ACPPRC ­accepted by many as the natural leader of Australian Chinese ­communities.”

Mr Macgregor said involvement of figures such as Mr Huang was tricky for politicians to navigate. “When leaders of the ACPPRC take it upon themselves to organise a well-deserved community celebration, Chinese communities, and politicians, can be conflicted,” he said. “Do they avoid the event, and appear to be not supporting the celebration, or do they take part and accept a pro-PRC (People’s ­Republic of China) government lobby group is ­attempting to unite Chinese communities around its own soft-power agenda?”

Mr Huang resigned as head of ACPPRC amid last year’s scandal but is still president of the Oceanic Alliance of the Promotion of Peaceful Reunification of China.

In April, Mr Turnbull sent a message to a dinner Mr Huang was involved in, welcoming Xuecheng, the secretary-general of the Buddhist Association of China who is also a member of the ­Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Asked about the Opposition Leader’s letter to the 200 anniversary event, in which he wished community members “a joyous and memorable celebration”, a Labor spokesman said he sent the letter to the community organisations involved.

A spokesman for Mr Huang said he did not fund the event.

Prominent Chinese community leader King Fong, who was at the event, defended Mr Huang’s role and said many grassroots organisations which were not political were involved.

“He has been able to financially support the big celebrations. When he took on this position he said he represents everyone involved in Chinese history and not on the political angle.”

“I attended the whole function and never once did we say we are Chinese or anti-Chinese or we are supporting federal government or the Chinese government,” he told The Australian.

“We were able to get 1000 people on Sunday night no problem, actually we didn’t have enough seats. Because they want to hear about Australian Chinese [history] not Chinese Chinese.”

Others said the idea of having an event to mark the 200th anniversary was a worthy one — especially considering the long-established Chinese-Australian communities are seen by many as “collateral damage” in the China influence debate.