Please try again later. 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. Robb argued that a formal citizenship test would be a clear incentive for aspiring citizens to have basic English language skills and understanding of their community. 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. Mr James said Mr Robb's comments seemed to be made to advance the position of the Chinese business interests he served. 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 policy "One Belt, One Road". As soon as he left politics, Robb was hired by Shandong Landbridge on a $880,000 per year salary. 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'. 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". Follow our live coverage. "Andrew has said he's aware of the ministerial code of conduct and he'll abide by it," she said. Nine years of serving you has come to an end! Robb claimed in 1991 that Peter Reith and Hewson were spooked into releasing their policies too early. 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. For some, it's the exercise of debt and debt collection.". An agreement between Darwins city council and an overseas municipal counterpart normally wouldnt attract much attention. 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. It is a far cry from the debt-trap colonialism China stands accused of using to gain leverage over other foreign governments, such as Sri Lanka and Nepal. Australia Defence Association executive director Neil James agreed. Yes, in breaking through we have got a little bloodied, but our efforts were not in vain, and they must not be in vain. 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. Why did the NT lease Darwin Port to China? 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. In that time Robb also sat on the boards of numerous Australian companies including Australia's largest consulting engineering company, Sinclair Knight Merz. "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. Robb was still Federal Director and campaign manager in 1996 when John Howard after he replaced Downer as leader in 1995, won the 1996 federal election campaign, which defeated the Keating government and brought the Liberals to power after 13 years in Opposition. [1] In 2019, Robb left the position, shortly before a new foreign-interference law took effect.[2]. In this role Mr Robb negotiated Free Trade Agreements with South Korea, Japan and China, as well as the 12 country Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement and the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Singapore. Robb then left politics and took up a lucrative 'consultancy' gig with Landbridge less than 12 months later, making who knows how much from helping actual jeopardise our national security. As . 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. There are indications of some recognition of this at the federal level. Were working to restore it. There has been some tweaking of rules about political parties accepting foreign donations. RT @TwoEyeHead: Govt to spend $3.8billion beefing up far Northern military assets. The Chinese owner of the Port of Darwin is using the port as security to seek a $500 million loan from the Chinese government's trade bank. 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. Leasing Darwin Port was a political not a legal decision, made in Canberra not Darwin. The company has previously denied its operations are influenced by the Communist Party and stated that Mr Robb was not engaged in political representation on its behalf in Australia. Three months later, Mr Robb was on Landbridge's payroll. Darwin port deal is a nice little earner. Its estimated that Mr Robb pocketed more than $2 million plus expenses from Landbridge. . He was succeeded by Steven Ciobo as Minister of Trade and Investment on 18 February 2016. Chinese President Xi Jinping and then prime minister Tony Abbott witness the signing of the declaration of intent on the Australia/China Free Trade Agreement at Parliament House in Canberra. Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. He was Honorary Finance Director for the NSW Division of the Liberal Party and a member of the NSW State Executive. In some cases the tone hasnt taken account of the sensitivities on the Chinese side, said Robb. By all accounts, he wasn't involved with Landbridge in late 2015 when the deal went through, and the federal cabinet was not aware of the deal until hours before then-chief minister Adam Giles announced it publicly in November 2015. 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. 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. "We had our deputy prime minister last year stand up in front of a Channel 9 TV camera and say, 'I want all Australians to know that ISIS is not our security threat, China is our security threat'; this is irresponsible," Mr Robb said. 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. 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. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation US, Inc. An Australian Border Force Cape-class patrol boat docked at the Darwin port. The bid for the port was examined and approved by the Foreign Investments Review Board, the Defence Department and ASIO. "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.". I remember when liberals sold off the Port of Darwin to China just so minister Andrew Robb, who authorised the sell off, could get a post politics grift. 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. It makes Darwin an interesting case study a point of contest between the strategies of the US and China. 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. As with other Chinese port acquisitions, such as in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Greece and Djibouti, Landbridge is interested in acquiring and developing not only Darwins port facilities but nearby waterfront property. Landbridge head Ye Cheng, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then trade envoy Andrew Robb in Beijing in April 2016. 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. 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. 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. Additionally, he conducted 85 investment roundtables with 28 countries. 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". 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. Mr Robb was reported to have pocketed more than $2 million plus expenses in his time. Robb, one of nine children, was born to Frank and Marie Robb, on a dairy farm in Epping which lies 18 kilometres (11mi) north of Melbourne. Landbridge Australia reported a loss of A$31 million for the 2017 financial year, with its total borrowings rising to A$463 million. Chinese-owned company Landbridge has a 99-year lease over the Darwin Port. He is also a former gold trader and economic commentator at The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, the ABC and Business Spectator. [9] He was re-elected at the 2010 election and was appointed Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction and retained his position as chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee. quietly ceased his controversial consultancy with Landbridge. In relation to the Ministerial Standards, Scott Ryan, the Minister Assisting the Cabinet Secretary, reiterated the rules for former frontbenchers. Australias foreign investment review processes have been tightened. Many Curious Darwin readers asked how Mr Robb was involved in the port deal. The mayor of Mount Gambier, Andrew Lee, took a 10 per cent stake in the winery when it was acquired by the Ye family in October 2016 for an undisclosed amount, estimated to be more than $20 million. Despite pleas by non-political heads of our spy organisations, the government is today insisting on carrying on like they give a fuck about our national security. The ABC reported it had obtained and translated a . 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. Fake news. Citing legal advice, Mr Lee refused to say if he had paid any money for this stake. Mr Robb's job with Landbridge commenced on July 1, 2016, according to a Four Corners Fairfax Media 2017 joint investigation. 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. The trade park being spruiked in Mr Robb's name is to be built in Rizhao, a thriving port city between Beijing and Shanghai. 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'. 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. All levels of Australian government have encouraged it. Mr Ye's interest in the winery is via his brother, Gang Ye. Following a front-bench re-shuffle in March 2010, Robb was appointed Shadow Minister for Finance, Deregulation and Debt Reduction, a post previously held by Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce, and chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee. Please login to engage in the commentary. 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. But others may have learnt valuable lessons too. Ultimately, he said the move was all about soft power and influence. Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. But it will not share any profit that Landbridge may eventually make. Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. In December 2017, then Attorney-General George Brandis suggested that Mr Robb would have to sign up to the new register. The full text of this article is available to MacroBusiness subscribers, Cancel at any time through our billing provider, Stripe. Billionaire Ye Cheng is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015. . 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. 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. "In short, we just don't know what might happen over the next 30 years, let alone the next 96, and the port has already been handed away," Mr James said. 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Mr Ye is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in . But company records reveal that Andrew Robb Pty Ltd . 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. Ye Cheng, of Landbridge, and then trade minister Andrew Robb in 2015. Credit: Glenn Campbell. 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. Hearing senior Treasury staff describe the Northern Territory's budget as being in "dire straits" is the bureaucratic equivalent to saying, "we're stuffed". The Port of Darwin's 99-year lease with Chinese company Landbridge has attracted criticism since 2015. At these challenging times, we need to work hard to reverse the souring of our political relationship. Landbridge head Ye Cheng, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then trade envoy Andrew Robb in Beijing in April 2016. 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. In 2003, Robb was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for service to politics, agriculture and the community.[6]. All Rights Reserved. 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. Ministerial business that just happens to coincide with a grand final or a concert; electorate business that must be conducted in prime tourist locations, or at the same time as party fundraisers. There are certain things that have been thousands of years in the making with regard to China, such as saving face.. The Landbridge group had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015 during Robb's time as trade minister. Two years after clinching a historic free trade deal with Beijing, former trade minister Andrew Robb has become a "high-level economic consultant" with the Chinese company that now operates Darwin Port. "He's now saying that any criticisms of improper Chinese behaviour attempting to influence our political system is our fault. Mr Robb resigned as trade minister in February, before leaving Parliament at this year's election. Australia-China political relations had turned to custard and business ties could follow. When those loans come payable and the countries can't cover the debt, China assumes control of those infrastructure assets. Now, in a climate where national security concerns dominate the China relationship, the deal seems like a strange throwback to a simpler time a time when ministers like Andrew Robb and Josh Frydenberg could pose for photos with CCP-aligned Chinese billionaires, and when the relationship with our biggest trading partner was dominated by economic optimism. Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. 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. We have always worked closely with our contacts and jealously guard their identities. Many of these grants were disproportionally awarded to marginal seats, with limited oversight and even less accountability. Weaknesses in Australian governments at all levels have been revealed. Followed categories will be added to My News. [25], During 2009 Laurie Oakes's column in The Australian, Robb disclosed that he was stepping down from the opposition front bench for three months to address a form of depression brought on by Diurnal Variation, which is typically experienced as positive mood variation (PMV mood being worse upon waking and better in the evening). 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. This website is dedicated to the public interest. "We love yuz all!" 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. And I mean, know that you mention it, you can kind of see why we arent that keen on a Federal ICAC, he laughed. Crikey acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the many nations across Australia, and pay our respect to Elders past and present. 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. . Every contribution, however big or small, keeps the lights on for this cowboy operation. Not much, according to defence experts and academics, but there's a few outstanding issues of interest with the whole saga. Kishor is a federal politics reporter for Crikey, based in the Canberra press gallery. A Chinese company that owns a 99-year lease on Darwin port has warned that its treatment at the hands of the Australian government risks scaring away investors from other countries. Read more: The port's acquisition sparked a major controversy after then US president Barack Obama complained he hadn't been forewarned. 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". Our focus is investigations into big business, particularly multinational tax avoidance, banking and the energy sector. Robb only left his position at Landbridge in 2019, shortly before a new foreign-interference law took effect. Fairfax Media and Four Corners are not suggesting that Mr Robb has breached his obligations as an ex-minister. They have been reactive, readily accepting the lure of pearls cast on our shores without considering longer-term currents. [18] It was reported that Robb had accepted the $73,000 per month position before leaving Parliament. According to an official Chinese government statement, the park is designed to capitalise on the China Australia Free Trade Agreement as well as Mr Ye's purchase of the Darwin port. He added that former minister Andrew Robb also took on a lucrative consulting job with . Following the election of the Abbott government in 2013, Robb was appointed Minister for Trade and Investment. Democracy under siege from the rising forces of plutocracy. Lobbyists have until March 1 to register, although government sources have acknowledged that enforcing the scheme may be difficult given the lack of legal precedent surrounding its operation and the likelihood that some potential registrants will argue it does not apply to them. . Keep up with the latest ASX and business news, MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies at age of 46. But the fear of angering China has weighed heavily on Australian-elected officials, with the greatest fear coming in the form of economic sanctions. "Australia-China political relations had "turned to custard" and . Thank you for your very kind wishes! And they have picked this bloke, the Leader of the Opposition, as their candidate.. [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". [22], Robb is part owner of The Boathouse Group, which operates a number of Sydney restaurants and other venues. [8] The then leader of the Liberal Party, former Defence Minister, Brendan Nelson, announced that Robb would be Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs in the new Coalition Shadow Cabinet. Andrew Robb says said Canberra had every right to reassess the port lease in light of changing strategic circumstances. Dont pay so you can read it. "Working for Landbridge Group was a wonderful and pleasing thing, and that he wanted to jointly write a wonderful new chapter together with Landbridge," the statement added. But attention has been drawn to Darwins newly minted friendship deal with Yuexiu District, in Guangzhou, due to Chinese media describing it as part of President Xi Jinpings signature Belt and Road Initiative. Good sources are critical to good journalism. 2:30pm, Apr 27 . Former trade minister Andrew Robb, who . Many Curious Darwin readers asked how Mr Robb was . Thank you for your very kind wishes! To cancel the lease, you'd have to pay an enormous amount of compensation to the lease holder," he said. "I encourage you to explore the Australia Park in China where partnerships and collaboration between these two great nations will flourish for years to come," the statement in Mr Robb's name said. The ethics code for departing ministers bans them for a period of 18 months from lobbying or advocating to the government or public service on any matters they previously dealt with as a minister. Port Darwin. [19][20] Landbridge Group is chaired by Ye Cheng, a billionaire with links to the Chinese Communist Party. Robb announced his retirement from politics on 10 February 2016. [14], Robb is a board member of the Kidman cattle enterprise and the Network Ten television station. Mr Robb, who quit as a minister in Malcolm Turnbull's government before the last election, previously denied working on behalf of Beijing, and defended his contract with Landbridge, saying he was not doing business in Australia, so could not be captured by the new scheme. 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. Another Robb entity is facing (in mid 2019) a wind-up motion from the Commissioner of Taxation over unpaid taxes. In Australia it gave influential Liberal Party figure and former trade minister Andrew Robb an $880,000 job just months after he . We are guided by a deceptively simple, old idea: tell the truth and shame the devil. Before entering parliament, he was the federal director of the Liberal Party and oversaw the party's return to government at the 1996 federal election. 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. Military-civilian integration was among the goals China set in its 13th five-year plan for 2016-20. If the deal falls over, the government will need to seek new equity partners. 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".
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