Mr James said Mr Robb's comments seemed to be made to advance the position of the Chinese business interests he served. He added that former minister Andrew Robb also took on a lucrative consulting job with Landbridge after he . Australia was the first Western country to break through the metaphorical Great Wall of China in terms of free trade, creating a trading environment no Western G20 economy has ever enjoyed. The late 2015 deal with Landbridge shocked the country and led to the most-asked question in the Curious series history, about why the NT decided to lease the port to a foreign company and how they got away with it. Mr Robb is one of several senior former Australian politicians who have been hired by or who hold roles funded by businesses or businessmen closely aligned to the Chinese Communist Party. Andrew Robb [18] It was reported that Robb had accepted the $73,000 per month position before leaving Parliament. "There's a pattern it's like a blueprint. While he was Minister for Trade and Investment, Robb approved Chinese company Shandong Landbridge Group to lease Port Darwin for 99 years. READ MORE ABOUT BLACK DOG DAZE, CLICK HERE. Ms McKenzie was chief of staff to Andrew Robb when he was the Liberal government's trade, investment and tourism minister. Here's what they think of a Voice to Parliament, Soccer spectator accused of punching out teeth of referee in 'outrageous attack' refused bail, How Australia was left with only one deployable submarine, The Landbridge Group was awarded a 99-year lease, ADF official raises red flag over Darwin port deal, Police investigating gangland shooting allegedly uncover separate murder plot, Pioneering Australian musician and The Dingoes frontman Broderick Smith dies aged 75, 'I don't buy that one bit': Next AFL CEO denies claims of a boys' club after promotion from general counsel, How Heather Mitchell survived a 'testosterone, cocaine and alcohol-fuelled' workplace, Hundreds of 'completely underfunded' Coalition-era infrastructure projects on the chopping block, The public will be asked to pledge allegiance to King Charles III. And they have picked this bloke, the Leader of the Opposition, as their candidate.. Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng, former prime minister Tony Abbott and then trade minister Andrew Robb at the signing of the China-Australia free trade agreement in June 2015. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen. Many of you have written to us over the past week wanting to know what can be done about it, more than three years after the deal was signed that saw one of Australia's most strategic assets leased away for a one-time payment. Mr Robb joins former foreignminister Bob Carr and former Victorian premier John Brumby in leaving lucrative roles with companies or, in Mr Carrs case, a think tank, founded by businessmen with strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party. That potential is a long way off. In 2004, he was comfortably elected to the safe Liberal seat of Goldstein in Melbourne and was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs on 27 January 2006. Mr Robb has been approached for comment on his new role, but the former minister, who is currently overseas, has not yet responded to the ABC. The former trade minister Andrew Robb has been appointed a high-level economic consultant with the Chinese company that operates Darwin port. "It is the responsibility of all former ministers to adhere to the Statement of Ministerial Standards and not take personal advantage of information to which they have had access as a minister where that information is not generally available to the public," Senator Ryan said in a statement. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Former federal trade minister Andrew Robb took an annual $880,000 job with Landbridge after leaving federal parliament. I've known him for a very long time. Changes at the top for lobby group - MPNEWS "He's now saying that any criticisms of improper Chinese behaviour attempting to influence our political system is our fault. . The most drastic would involve the government forcing Landbridge, owned by . Not much, according to defence experts and academics, but there's a few outstanding issues of interest with the whole saga. The upcoming federal election would be the time to have it, he added, but questions from the ABC to Prime Minister Scott Morrison's office about the Darwin Port and Chinese influence went unanswered. Mr Robb, the architect of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, began consulting to Ye Cheng the day before the July 2 federal election in 2016, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. You get the drift of what behaviour this category captures. In February 2016, Andrew Robb quit his role as Australia's trade minister having just finalised the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement. David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. Chinese influence compromises the integrity of our politics. He was an agricultural economist with the Victorian Department of Agriculture and a tutor in economics at La Trobe University before being an economist for the National Farmers' Federation, and later executive director of both the National Farmers' Federation and the Cattle Council of Australia. Former trade minister Andrew Robb takes role with Chinese company Andrew Robb today completely rejected the assertions and innuendo made in a piece of gutter journalism in the Sunday Age newspaper. Every contribution, however big or small, keeps the lights on for this cowboy operation. In late 2018, the ForeignInfluence Transparency Scheme became active with the launch of a public register for people who seek to influence the Australian political process on behalf of foreign interests. Former PM Rudd urges review of lease of Darwin Port to China company We recognise that their sovereignty has never been ceded. Please try again later. Former "stooge of China" gives nod to Darwin Port seizure 27 Apr 2023 00:13:32 The Defence Department and ASIO have vetted and cleared Landbridge's acquisition of the port. (Supplied: . The deal to lease parts of the port followed successive federal governments refusing to fund necessary upgrading of the ports infrastructure to meet growing demand. / -12.4708; 130.8483. In cases like Sri Lanka, China offered loans to build infrastructure. Crunch decision on Chinese-owned Port of Darwin looms Peter Dutton says circumstances were different in 2015. Darwins port is under Chinese control, while thousands of US marines are based in the city, as part of the US Pacific pivot seen by many as an effort to contain Chinas influence in the region. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Zhang Jie, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, wrote in 2015 about the concept of first civilian, later military in which commercial ports are to be built with the goal of slowly being developed into strategic support points to assist China defending maritime channel security and control key waterways. Andrew Robb joins Chinese company with control of Darwin Port Darwin Port lease to Chinese company Landbridge should be - ABC By Leith van Onselen. At these challenging times, we need to work hard to reverse the souring of our political relationship. Mr Ye frames much of his business activity, including the acquisition of the Port of Darwin lease, in terms of advancing Beijing's ambitious global trade and infrastructure project "One Belt, One Road". The Landbridge statement from September 2 said "the process of internationalisation of the Landbridge Group and the results achieved had greatly impressed him (Mr Robb)". Thats open. Scott Morrison's Role In Selling Darwin Port To China An agreement between Darwins city council and an overseas municipal counterpart normally wouldnt attract much attention. Enter your email address and Crikey will send a Verification Code. Landbridge signed . In a November 2016 interview with the ABC, Mr Robb said that "most of what he [Mr Ye] wants me for is because of my knowledge of other countries and other governments. The statement also said deputy secretary Liu had met Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NT Chief Minister Adam Giles on April 14, 2016, and "proposed the co-operative model of Two Countries, Two Parks". Now not so much. He is the co-author of The Great Crash of 2008 with Ross Garnaut and was the editor of the second Garnaut Climate Change Review. Keep up with the latest ASX and business news, MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies at age of 46. Three months later, Mr Robb was on Landbridge's payroll.Credit: Landbridge. For some, it's the exercise of debt and debt collection.". Blokes Who Sold Darwin Port To China Still Acting Like They Give A Fuck A companydocument revealed that Mr Robbs consulting contract was so vague and ill-defined he would be paid even if he did nothing. Andrew Robb Pty Ltd provide strategic advice in solving problems and capturing opportunities, particularly in regards to: Until his recent retirement from politics, Andrew Robb was Australias Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism. Fairfax Media and Four Corners are not suggesting that Mr Robb has breached his obligations as an ex-minister. The ABC reported it had obtained and translated a . But the deal put Darwin directly in the crossfire between US and Chinese interests. Though privately owned, like many Chinese companies it has strong ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.
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