Though privately owned, like many Chinese companies it has strong ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. The new register is designed to ensure that, if a person is advocating on behalf of a foreign power, it is declared. Australia's warm relationship with China has developed frostbite in the five short years since the deal was . And what role, if any, did Andrew Robb play? The details of the consultancy have never been disclosed by Mr Ye or Mr Robb. That is obvious. [15], In October 2016, it was announced that Robb had joined the Landbridge Group,[16][17] a Chinese company which had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015, as a "high-level economic consultant". 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. Landbridge says if it happens then itll spike sovereign risk. His time in this portfolio was marked by introducing a Citizenship discussion paper which encouraged public debate about whether Australia required a formal citizenship test. 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. As the federal trade minister, Mr Robb did publicly support the Darwin Port deal, calling it a "powerful sign" of a commercial partnership between China and Australia through a free trade agreement he had helped establish. In that time Robb also sat on the boards of numerous Australian companies including Australia's largest consulting engineering company, Sinclair Knight Merz. Former ministers are banned from lobbying the Australian Government for 18 months, meaning Mr Robb would have to wait another year before he can advocate for the Landbridge Group on trade matters. He is also a member of the national Chinese People's Consultative Committee, an advisory body that President Xi Jinping has directed to "uphold the CPC [Chinese Communist Party] leadership without wavering". During that time, she worked on Australia's trade deals with China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, as well as the Trans Pacific Partnership and future free trade agreements with Europe and Indonesia. Landbridge head Ye Cheng, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then trade envoy Andrew Robb in Beijing in April 2016. Any attempt by Landbridge to use the port as security to borrow money from a Chinese bank would trigger renegotiation of the lease. In this capacity Robb worked with the next Leader of the Liberal Party, John Hewson, in the unsuccessful 1993 federal election campaign. Fake news. Mr Robb said he was not doing business in Australia so could not be captured by the new scheme. They have been reactive, readily accepting the lure of pearls cast on our shores without considering longer-term currents. 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. Everybody in the NT remembers the last time Darwin was caught in the middle of a conflict between the Americans and a rising Asian empire. As a small, open economy international trade and foreign investment has been critical to providing jobs and prosperity by Australians since European settlement over 200 years ago. In Australia it gave influential Liberal Party figure and former trade minister Andrew Robb an $880,000 job just months after he retired from parliament. Robb only left his position at Landbridge in 2019, shortly before a new foreign-interference law took effect. The federal government is considering scrapping a 99-year lease of Darwins port to a Chinese company, the latest point of tension in an increasingly chilly relationship between Canberra and Beijing. This comes despite the fact they sold one of our most strategically positioned ports to a Chinese company with close links to the Chinese Communist Party in 2015. All levels of Australian government have encouraged it. Chinese influence compromises the integrity of our politics, Soft power goes hard: China's economic interest in the Pacific comes with strings attached, The risks of a new Cold War between the US and China are real: here's why. Former LNP Trade Minister Andrew Robb profited enormously from the port deal Member for Kennedy, Bob Katter, MHR has warned the federal Government to tear up the Port of Darwin lease with its Chinese owners, arguing that a "review" will achieve nothing but waste time. Andrew Robb joins Chinese company with control of Darwin Port, Keep up with the latest ASX and business news, MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies at age of 46. [13] He had carriage of final negotiations for the AustraliaKorea Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA), JapanAustralia Economic Partnership Agreement, ChinaAustralia Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership which have concluded by the federal government. Mr Ye publicly announced on September 2 last year that Mr Robb had been appointed as a "high-level economic consultant". In the months before the last election, the Government spent hundreds of millions of dollars of Australian taxpayers money on grants for sports, community safety, rural development programs and more. If the courts decision does not stand, we will continue to face exposure to imperious government intervention in export markets, without any protection for those who do the right thing. Mr Cheng's company, Landbridge Group, was embroiled in controversy when it was awarded a 99-year lease over the port of Darwin. To cancel the lease, you'd have to pay an enormous amount of compensation to the lease holder," he said. A Critical Infrastructure Centre has been created to give extra national security advice. 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. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time), abc.net.au/news/can-darwin-port-99-year-lease-china-be-reversed-andrew-robb-role/10912478, Get breaking news alerts directly to your phone with our app, Help keep family & friends informed by sharing this article. The Crikey comment section is members-only content. "We've got an authoritarian government in a foreign country attempting to influence the Australian political debate, not just by improper means but in an improper fashion. Ye Cheng, of Landbridge, and then trade minister Andrew Robb in 2015. Landbridge confirmed Mr Robbs departure. Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. The delegation was lobbied by Rizhao Communist Party deputy secretary Liu Xingtai to support the trade park as part of a "Two Countries, Two Parks" proposal. . Foreign Minister Julie Bishop defended Mr Robb's decision, telling the ABC he should be allowed to have a post-Parliament career. I've known him for a very long time. You have entered an incorrect email address! From left, now Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Landbridge chief Ye Cheng and then trade minister Andrew Robb at a northern development conference in 2015. Credit: Glenn Campbell. "Just before Landbridge had an opportunity to formally present my report to Chinese authorities, they were advised not to bother because the relationship between the Australian and Chinese governments 'had become so toxic' that the report would be binned.". Billionaire Ye Cheng is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015. Late last year, 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. Dr Garrick said the luxury hotel project was a further extension of the interests of the group, "an entrenchment of their strategic positions", given its location on the waterfront, right next to Parliament House and Government House. This was discounted by some commentators as hyperbole, an attempt to curry favour with the Chinese government. Australias number one patriot, the former trade minister that negotiated the China FTA and the leasing of Darwin Port to Chinese interests before going to work for the new owner shortly afterwards, has declared its fine to seize it back: Meh. 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. That was the day before the 2016 federal election, that Mr Robb had stated months earlier he would not be contesting. 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 $506 million the Northern Territory Government was paid for a 99-year lease of the Darwin Port by Chinese company Landbridge is long gone, but Australians' feelings of unease remain. For all not investors not just Chinese. David is the founding publisher and editor of MacroBusiness and was the founding publisher and global economy editor of The Diplomat, the Asia Pacifics leading geo-politics and economics portal. 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. #auspol. Infrastucture Australia advised privatisation. In February 2016, Andrew Robb quit his role as Australia's trade minister having just finalised the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement. 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. The company knows how to cultivate political connections. He is the Chairman of Asialink and CNSDose, and a strategic advisor to Beef Innovations Australia, as well as a range of national and international businesses. Kishor is a federal politics reporter for Crikey, based in the Canberra press gallery. Dr Garrick said China wouldn't be able to call in debts and assume control of any infrastructure in Darwin, but it was still a model that seemed to be being applied on Australia's northern shore. We recognise that their sovereignty has never been ceded. This website is dedicated to the public interest. But the director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Peter Jennings, said the port deal might benefit Beijing's long-term strategic interests, and not necessarily those of Australia. Back then it was criticised over national security implications, and drew a rebuke from former US president Barack Obama. Citing legal advice, Mr Lee refused to say if he had paid any money for this stake. There are endless opportunities in Northern Australia; the trick is to have government truly engaged as a partner in attracting the critical investment dollars. Dont pay so you can read it. Dr Garrick said it was interesting to observe China's recent engagement in poor Pacific Island nations over the past few years, where the Asian economic superpower has developed a type of "blueprint" for strategic positioning. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Pay so everyone can. Fairfax Media and Four Corners are not suggesting that Mr Robb has breached his obligations as an ex-minister. Redirecting funding to pet hobbies; offering jobs to the boys without a proper tender process; secretly bankrolling candidates in elections; taking up private sector jobs in apparent breach of parliaments code of ethics, the list goes on. Mr Robb has confirmed that he has left Landbridge for the time being because, "at this stage, Landbridge has no other projects relevant for me to assist". [26] Robb disclosed that, since adolescence, he had suffered depression for several hours each day in the morning. . Then trade minister Andrew Robb is congratulated after he concluded the second reading debate on the China - Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2015.Credit: Andrew Meares. Mr Huang has been blocked from entering Australia and has had his permanent residency cancelled by the Department of Home Affairs after advice from ASIO that he may engage in foreigninterference activities on behalf of the Chinese government. Another Robb entity is facing (in mid 2019) a wind-up motion from the Commissioner of Taxation over unpaid taxes. Former trade minister Liberal MP Andrew Robb accepted an $880,000-a-year salary with Chinese billionaire Ye Chengs Landbridge Group immediately after quitting parliament. Nine years of serving you has come to an end! In cases like Sri Lanka, China offered loans to build infrastructure. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Every contribution, however big or small, keeps the lights on for this cowboy operation. "We can't afford to be afraid of China, in the sense that when we need to speak up about issues that concern us, we have to be able to do that; otherwise if we run scared, we've already half lost.". In a ballot of Liberal caucus members, Julie Bishop prevailed with 44 votes, ahead of Robb who won 25 votes and Christopher Pyne with 18 votes. In relation to the Ministerial Standards, Scott Ryan, the Minister Assisting the Cabinet Secretary, reiterated the rules for former frontbenchers. Chinas strategy is very long-term. And they have picked this bloke, the Leader of the Opposition, as their candidate.. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. Charles Darwin University academic John Garrick has been researching China's international strategic actions, and said the Commonwealth Government doesn't really have a leg to stand on if they want to take the lease of the port back now. That potential is a long way off. by Elizabeth Minter | Jul 20, 2020 | Deceptive Conduct, Liberal Party, QED. Regardless of the merits of the comment (which the boss of ASIO has dismissed as dangerous and divisive from Dutton), it hardly comes as a surprise that China might one someone else in power other than the party that has openly attacked and started trade wars with them. They must also ensure their personal conduct upholds the reputation of Parliament. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2004 to 2016, representing the Liberal Party. Australia-China political relations had turned to custard and business ties could follow. He added that former minister Andrew Robb also took on a lucrative consulting job with Landbridge after he . "The proposal has been fully recognised and highly affirmed by the Shandong Province Party Committee, the Provincial Government and the Department of Commerce," the Chinese government statement said. "We love yuz all!" But company records reveal that Andrew Robb Pty Ltd . Following the election of the Abbott government in 2013, Robb was appointed Minister for Trade and Investment. Mr Ye is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015 . It may have been pushed by . Or does it just reinforce the fact that politicians take the public for mugs? Senior Lecturer, Business Law, Charles Darwin University. In 1990, after Andrew Peacock's resignation after his election defeat, Robb was appointed federal director of the Liberal Party. The former trade minister Andrew Robb has been appointed a high-level economic consultant with the Chinese company that operates Darwin port. This story is part two in our look at the port as part of Curious Darwin, our story series where you ask us the questions, vote for your favourite, and we investigate. Mr Robbs consultancy with the leaseholder of the Darwin Port, Landbridge, was trumpeted by the Chinese-government aligned company in 2016, but became intensely controversial when an investigation by The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald and Four Corners revealed his fee, and that he had joined the company straight after quitting parliament. Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. It was a decision that baffled everyone from NT locals to Barack Obama, a strategic asset lease that slipped past the Foreign Investment Review Board and Defence. Mr Robb resigned as trade minister in February, before leaving Parliament at this year's election. Do Darwin residents really drink more than other Australians? Mr Ye is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015. A Landbridge Group company statement obtained by the ABC said Mr Robb was appointed to the role by chairman Ye Cheng at an "auspicious" ceremony two months ago. [1] In 2019, Robb left the position, shortly before a new foreign-interference law took effect.[2]. Then trade minister Andrew Robb is congratulated after he concluded the second reading debate on the China - Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2015. controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015. The scheme was largely prompted due to concerns about undeclared Chinese government efforts to influence Australian institutions, but applies to any lobbyist or consultant working for a company or think tank controlled by a foreignnation and involved in influencing the political process. You get the drift of what behaviour this category captures. "It's probably too late to do anything. As part of the "confidential" consultancy deal, Mr Robb, the architect of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, began consulting to Ye Cheng the day before the July 2 federal election last year. Foreign and strategic policy has effectively been left to the local level. Become a subscriber to get full access to the website, as well as our premium newsletters. Rather than sell outright, the territory government decided to lease the port, and sell a controlling stake in the ports operator. quietly ceased his controversial consultancy with Landbridge. Mr James said Mr Robb's comments seemed to be made to advance the position of the Chinese business interests he served. [18] It was reported that Robb had accepted the $73,000 per month position before leaving Parliament. Now not so much. Three months later, Mr Robb was on Landbridge's payroll. Former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said he was stunned that Australia had blind-sided its ally. The Landbridge group had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015 during Robb's time as trade minister. No claim Robb breached code: Ryan In April 2016, less than three months before his consultancy agreement began, Mr Robb visited China with an Australian delegation in his capacity as Australia's trade envoy. How did the port sale propel the sleepy territory into a geopolitical brawl? 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. Howard had to be talked out of dumping Andrew in 1995 from his position as Federal director. Former trade minister Andrew Robb has quietly ceased his controversial $880,000 per annum consultancy with a company closely linked to the Chinese government, as the deadline looms for lobbyists for overseas state interests to sign up to Australias new foreigninfluence register. 27 Apr 2023 00:13:32 READ MORE ABOUT BLACK DOG DAZE, CLICK HERE. Read more: Robb was also a board member of community organisations including the Garvan Medical Research Foundation and the 'Big Brothers Big Sisters' organisation. Neither has the fact that Mr Robb is being used to spruik a Chinese Communist Party-backed trade park as part of his consultancy agreement. What set off the "latest scandal" was the breaking news former trade minister Andrew Robb would be an "economic consultant" to Landbridge - lessee of the Port. From left, now Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, Landbridge chief Ye Cheng and then trade minister Andrew Robb at a northern development conference in 2015. revealed his fee, and that he had joined the company straight after quitting parliament, has been blocked from entering Australia and has had his permanent residency cancelled, continues to advocate for Australia to back the policy. Until his recent retirement from politics, Andrew Robb was Australia's Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism. When those loans come payable and the countries can't cover the debt, China assumes control of those infrastructure assets. Ye Cheng, of Landbridge, and then trade minister Andrew Robb in 2015. Credit: Glenn Campbell. Can the Darwin Port's 99-year lease to China be reversed? Mr Robb's consultancy with the leaseholder of the Darwin Port, Landbridge, was trumpeted by the Chinese-government aligned company in 2016, but became intensely controversial when an . According to Morrison "Andrew Rodd is a person of the highest integrity. Our focus is investigations into big business, particularly multinational tax avoidance, banking and the energy sector. This is what you need to know, Canberra grassland earless dragon headed for extinction as ACT government updates list of threatened species, Buses, ferries proposed as Hobart stadium transport fix, Live: MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo remembered for 'wicked sense of humour'. Charles Darwin University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. and I said, 'well, I'd love to but I've been a minister in a cabinet, in a related area, I can't do any work for you in Australia and I can't do it for 18 months'," he said. [27], The following week, Robb said in an interview with 3AW's Neil Mitchell that he had found "doing things increasingly more difficult, I could be taking on more responsibilities especially in a public sense and decided to confront it a few weeks ago. Former trade and investment minister Andrew Robb has taken up an advisory position with the Chinese company behind the controversial 99-year lease of the Darwin port, raising concerns about . But theres an election coming up and weve dropped the ball on some many issues because weve played politics instead of just doing our jobs, so we need to pretend that well be speaking Mandarin in 12 months if people dont vote for us.. He served as Minister for Trade and Investment (20132016) in the Abbott and Turnbull governments, and also briefly as Minister for Vocational and Further Education in the Howard government in 2007. Nine years of serving you has come to an end! 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. A companydocument revealed that the consulting contract was so vague and ill-defined he would be paid even if he did nothing. The Landbridge Group was awarded a 99-year lease over the Port of Darwin last year in a $506 million deal with the Northern Territory Government that sparked concerns at the highest levels of the Australian Defence Force. Opportunities exist across website, brand awareness, podcasts, social media content, and video campaigns. "That's what made it worse, a local government in the NT made such a silly decision that risked the freedom and strategic security of Australians over the next hundred years or when China democratises.". Mr Robb was reported to have pocketed more than $2 million plus expenses in his time. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. Absolute confidentiality is assured. Andrew Robb says said Canberra had every right to reassess the port lease in light of changing strategic circumstances. Clumsiness and indecision do not serve Australian interests well. The ABC reported it had obtained and translated a . In 2003, Robb was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to politics, agriculture and the community.[6]. Robb was on the payroll of Landbridge before he resigned as an MP. In March, Mr Robb and Mr Ye travelled together to Sydney from China, where both attended a business and trade forum hosted by the Australian government, as part of Premier Li Keqiang's visit. Follow our live coverage. We are guided by a deceptively simple, old idea: tell the truth and shame the devil. He was succeeded by Steven Ciobo as Minister of Trade and Investment on 18 February 2016. But its immediate commercial risks are relatively contained. The irony is that while at a political level our relationship is facing some difficulties, at a commercial level our relationship has never been better. The company statement, translated for the ABC, also quotes board chairman Ye Cheng as saying that in order for Landbridge to achieve its global goals "it will be necessary to draw on experts such as Mr Andrew Robb who have global vision and global influence". He is also a member of the national Chinese People's Consultative Committee, an advisory body that President Xi Jinping has directed to "uphold the CPC [Chinese Communist Party] leadership without wavering". [10], Robb is a republican;[11] he is against abortion except where the health and state of the mother are in serious threat.[12]. Chinese-owned company Landbridge has a 99-year lease over the Darwin Port. The lease, signed in 2015, is between the Northern Territory government and Landbridge Group, a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party. Soft power goes hard: China's economic interest in the Pacific comes with strings attached. The Landbridge group had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015 during Robbs time as trade minister. In early 2019, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Robb had quietly ceased his controversial consultancy with Landbridge as the deadline loomed for lobbyists for overseas state interests to sign up to Australias new foreigninfluence register. Following the Liberal Party's defeat at the 2007 federal election, Robb put himself forward as a candidate for Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party. "Once the idiotic deal was done, we as a country are effectively over a barrel. Andrew Robb, federal minister for trade and investment said . Robb is also the co-publisher of The Party Room alongside Senator Mitch Fifield,[citation needed] a journal designed to promote new policy discussion within the Federal Coalition. Liberal Andrew Robb took $880k China job as soon as he left Parliament. Mr Brumby announced in February he was quitting the Australian board of Huawei, the Chinese telco accused by security agencies of posing a security risk to western communications infrastructure. Thats open. Darwin port deal is a nice little earner. . Darwin was a different place back in 1923, a young city almost 20 years away from being bombed by Japan and more than 50 years away from the devastation of Cyclone Tracy. The former trade minister Andrew Robb did not talk to Malcolm Turnbull before taking on his role as an economic consultant with the Chinese company that operates the Darwin port.. Landbridge signed a $506m agreement with the Northern Territory government in October last year for a 99-year lease of the port.. Robb's consultancy was reportedly announced by the Landbridge Group on 2 September . The most drastic would involve the government forcing Landbridge, owned by . Please try again later. This suggests Chinese authorities regard Darwin as having strategic significance. The Chinese company that upset the defence establishment by buying the Port of Darwin is looking for oil and gas acquisitions in Northern Australia to boost trade through the commercial port. Then there is the role of Andrew Robb. As soon as he left politics, Robb was hired by Shandong Landbridge on a $880,000 per year salary. Mr Robb was scathing in comments to the ABC last week about a "toxic" relationship between Australia and China that he blamed on former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Australia's intelligence agencies. Mr Robb recently resigned his position with Landbridge, saying they did not have much work for him to do. Robb remained a member of . Landbridge signed . Good sources are critical to good journalism. more. Why don't more Australians know about the bombing of Darwin? Andrew John Robb AO (born 20 August 1951) is an Australian former politician. At the time, Mr Robb had already been working for Mr Ye for eight weeks, and had earned $146,000, including GST but minus expenses. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 2:30pm, Apr 27 . Mr Robb is currently Chairman of The Robb Group (wealth management, corporate and investment advisory company), the AgriFood Data Exchange, CDMA and CLARA Energy; a Board Member of the Kidman cattle enterprise, Mind Medicine Australia, and strategic advisor to Seafarms Ltd as well as a range of national and international businesses. Landbridge has bought the lease, rather than a Chinese bank lending funds to the Northern Territory government to develop the port. Politicising ASIOs annual threat assessment report, Defence Minister Peter Dutton said that China had; made a decision about who theyre going to back in the next federal election. The private agreement between Mr Robb and Mr Ye contains no mention of Mr Robb's international knowledge and networks, referring only to his role providing "consulting" and "strategic" services.
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