Anyone watching parliamentary question time would’ve seen etched on the faces of Labor’s frontbench, including Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, dismay over the case of the disgraced Senator Sam Dastyari.
That’s the rictus smile politicians put on their faces when they know they are on a hiding to nothing on an issue over which they do not have control.
Manager of opposition business Tony Burke’s attempts to neutralise fallout from the Dastyari matter have not been very effective.
Raising questions about who might have leaked details of the errant Senator’s contacts with a Chinese billionaire is a bit like complaining about the Melbourne weather.
Not very productive.
The question is: what does Labor do about the Dastyari embarrassment and what does all this tell us about Chinese “soft power’’ efforts to bring pressures to bear on the Australian political system?
We’ll consider in more detail tomorrow the activities of the United Front Work Department of the Chinese Communist Party and its tentacles that spread to countries that China seeks to influence, by one means, or another.
Labor’s problems with the Dastyari affair are not about to go away soon with risks of fresh revelations about inappropriate interactions with Chinese donors and hints from the Turnbull government it was considering launching an investigation into possible breaches of the law.
Barrister Turnbull had a field day in parliament prosecuting Labor’s discomfort over Dastyari’s interactions with a Chinese businessman, never mind that government ministers have had their hands out for donations from the same individual.
This is a political gift for a beleaguered prime ministers that keeps on giving.
It would be an understatement to say that behind the scenes anger over Dastyari’s behaviour is anything less than white hot, but Labor finds itself stuck with the former general secretary of the powerful New South Wales branch — for the time being.
Dastyari might have gone to the backbench, but like a hologram his presence in the Labor caucus can’t be expunged unless he resigns from the Senate altogether. Shorten could have him expelled from the party, but he can’t be removed from parliament unless criminal activity is alleged and proven.
Given Labor’s factional dynamics – Dastyari is a member of the Labor right, as is Shorten – it would be surprising if he was pushed out against his will.
Whether it likes it or not Labor is saddled with the opprobrium of having one of its own involved in highly questionable activities that raise all sorts of issues about foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs.
The Dastyari case — in which he has accepted money from a Chinese bagman to pay personal debts and been caught out contradicting Labor’s policy on China’s encroachments in the South China Sea – now hangs around Labor’s neck, like a smelly dead chicken.
From the party’s perspective the Dastyari affair could hardly have come at a more awkward moment for a party fighting a by-election in the Sydney suburban seat of Bennelong with the largest concentrations in the country of people of Chinese origin.
Not only is the Dastyari matter deflecting Labor’s efforts to maintain pressure on a ragged Turnbull government, it is also complicating its relationship with a large overseas Chinese community whose members will have been discomforted by unfavorable attention focused on the activities of one of their own.
Bennelong itself represents an extraordinary example of an electorate in which one ethnic group has in a few short years become a home to one such group.
According to the 2016 Census of the 168,948 people residing in Bennelong, 44,341 described themselves as being of Chinese ancestry compared with the 29,681 who described themselves as Australian.
Apart from English, Mandarin was the most spoken language in the electorate with about 14 percent of people nominating standard Chinese as their mother tongue. These are extraordinary numbers.
Given all the static around Dastyari’s significant errors of the judgement and the unwelcome attention that his China connections have brought to Labor, one person who will be fuming is the party’s candidate for Bennelong, former NSW premier Kristina Keneally.
Just when Keneally might have imagined that infighting in Coalition would be playing to her advantage, the Dastyari affair has diverted unwelcome attention back on to Labor, and more to the point the seediness of the NSW branch of which she is a prominent member.
“Cantonese”?
Lets not forget that the Dastyari affair is largely concocted by the Coalition & security agencies and at a time that suits the Libs. Sure he gets funds from Chinese millionaire of whom ASIO disapproves – but so do Libs – and he disagrees with ALP line on China, as do many of those not bamboozled by ASIO
The concocted bit is right, with all the echos that has of the Khemlani affair, so long ago. But getting funds from a Chinese donor to cover legal costs said to be $5K to $44K is highly odd. Did Sam wonder how this might look to others, when he allows Mr Huang to act as though he were a personal friend? The comments by Sam Dastyari at a Press Conference only contradict the ALP’s line on Chinese territorial claims if we insert at the end of his comment that “The Chinese integrity of its borders is a matter for China” the words “regardless of whether these are internationally recognised or disputed”. As for China’s claim to the South China sea, it is hard to see, with or without being bamboozled by ASIO, that China has any compelling foundation for that disputed claim
Suits the security services too – notice how this correspondent (like all others) hasn’t touched the fact that ASIO were caught conducting surveillance on a Senator (and leaking some of their most sensitive files), on behalf of a Gov’t that won’t learn from previous malpractices of this very type.
The real question is, why are we paying for this fairy floss, after weeks of getting it rained on us for free?
I can’t get over the prioritising of our “news media” – how they have so little regard for things like “the leaking of intelligence” – the leaking of what one would suspect would be “classified” – and the ramifications of that, to suit a political party, usually the Limited News Party?
Because some parts of our media has been the beneficiary of such leaking – happy to play cat’s paw for this government – for a “scoop”?
While “Slippery Sam” Dastyari is old news – we’ve been through this months ago? But suddenly it’s fresh again because apparently he subsequently (after what he’d been through – caught the way he was?) suggested Huang leave his phone inside (or “outside” according to Alberici – vs Burke – Lateline) while they went outside, when he went to Huang’s house (apparently no one from the LNP has been there?)?
While this heads-up to what our intelligence has been doing isn’t important- according to the media that edits our access to news?
And of course none of us have made similar remarks to people we know – even in jest? …. How did Dastayri use it? Who’s heard that tape?
Was Dastyari briefed by the “relevant” authorities – that he “sold Oz” out the way he’s supposed to have – the way “Wee Malcolm” and the the rest of the crew has used it and been able to get away with using it, by a complicit media?
Not important?
I agree with you and Tony Burke. The role of a security breach/leak/misuse, at a time that gives the incumbent government a ‘leg up’, needs to be clarified.
At the moment, in spite of all the ‘huff and puff’, there is not enough evidence to suggest illegality on the part of this senator.
The information was collected 18 months ago or so. This ‘intelligence’ being ‘kept on ice’ for use does have a touch of the PM about it. (Grech anyone?). Kevin Andrews ‘misused’ security information about a Brisbane Doctor that came back to bite the Government – or at least the Tax Payer with his payout.
The pattern of using information, and passing it to their media ‘camp followers’, that suggests, but does not have, a basis in some illegal activity is the behaviour of desperate autocrats.
This use of information is much more important, as an assault on Civil Society, let alone an assault on the integrity of the security organisations, than anything that the silly senator has done. How does SD’s giving so called ‘counter surveillance advice’ even come close to this government confirming to the Chinese businessman that he was definitely under intelligence surveillance (as if he didn’t know before hand).
It is laughable that, at the same time as all this is going on, an advisor to this Chinese businessman is giving support to John Anderson in Bennelong.
To be honest, I reckon the only people who are overly “bothered” by this are the Libs & their Media Mates. The amount of confected outrage from them-given recent dalliances with Chinese Donors by Malcontent & Julie Bishop-is probably making most reasonable people fairly sick to their stomach.
I am left bemused that the media pundits who are so keen to go after Dastyari are not digging into the connections between the LNP and the Chinese donors. If it is so dreadful then it is dreadful for both sides.
But the media seem absolutely to have double standards when it comes to the Chinese. The Government is in Government and has strong connections but Dastyari who is in opposition without briefing on matters of security is of great interest just as the Bennelong by-election is in the mix because “someone” leaked” old tapes. Who is that someone and why is the Government so unconcerned about this security breach? Why are journalists so incurious about these matters?
The fact that a member of Parliament appears to be being bugged, tailed and watched and material gathered and then used by the government for political purposes against their opponents is very similar to the 70’s when ASIO and ASIS were interfering in the affairs of the Opposition and the Labor Party in Government. Meantime it looks as if the Labor Leadership are not being briefed on possible threats – but who would know when the material used is so selective. The timing of the release of these old tapes to harm Kristina Keneally is remarkable.
Just who are the spooks protecting us from? Now that would be an interesting story.
Here is an explanation of ASIO’s role provided by Mr FDotM.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/dec/05/brenda-the-civil-disobedience-penguin-up-against-sinister-eggplants-from-asio
I agree that the msm is neglecting to ask the questions. The double standards are appalling and amazing.
The alternative govt has been undermined by the Security agencies at a time of great danger for the govt. I believe just before the police raid for the media at the AWU offices the compliance regulations allowing for that raid to go ahead was changed three days prior. In other words they are changing legislation mid stream so that people who are doing nothing wrong appear as criminals selectively. If journalist let this Security Agency interference go by maybe it’s a good thing the Jeff Bezos has arrived in this country, maybe he can help us out with a bit of cash for the journalists who are willing to do the work. The WaPo doesn’t let this ‘big picture’ stuff disappear down a right wing drain.