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.. Andrew Robb, Martin Ferguson, Peter Reith and Stephen Conroy are among the former ministers who swiftly took jobs as lobbyists Thu 27 Jun 2019 14.00 EDT Last modified on Thu 27 Jun 2019 21.35 EDT While the centre of US-Chinese tensions is the South China Sea where China has militarised reefs in disputed waters Darwin is important because it is the southern flank of US operations in the Pacific. has employed former trade minister Andrew Robb as a consultant, paying . by Elizabeth Minter | Jul 20, 2020 | Deceptive Conduct, Liberal Party, QED. Enter your email address and Crikey will send a Verification Code. But its immediate commercial risks are relatively contained. 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". Landbridge Australia, a subsidiary of Shandong Landbridge, won the 99-year lease with its bid of A$506 million in November 2015. And all of it is being done under the guise of economic development at a time of economic turbulence for those countries, Dr Garrick said, which sounds familiar to Darwin, where the NT Government is currently going through a fiscal crisis and severe economic downturn. "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. It makes Darwin an interesting case study a point of contest between the strategies of the US and China. 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. I thought everyone had forgotten about that.. . Australia's warm relationship with China has developed frostbite in the five short years since the deal was signed. Robb only left his position at Landbridge in 2019, shortly before a new foreign-interference law took effect. he said. 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. Mr Ye publicly announced on September 2 last year that Mr Robb had been appointed as a "high-level economic consultant". #auspol. "It involves the use of soft-power networks, influence over politicians on all sorts of levels, from local levels right up to the top.". Kishor is a federal politics reporter for Crikey, based in the Canberra press gallery. "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. He writes news and analysis with a focus on foreign policy, legal affairs and government transparency. It may have been pushed by . Soft power goes hard: China's economic interest in the Pacific comes with strings attached. 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. 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. 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. 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". But now, by design or not, the Darwin port deal increasingly looks like a blueprint for how Chinese interests can take control of foreign ports as it is doing by various means around the world without arousing local opposition. While the federal government now seeks to shore up its interests in the Pacific with cash for infrastructure, similar commitments to investing in local infrastructure are essential. The combined filings show Landbridge borrowed at least $870 million in the months leading up to its Darwin Port acquisition from the high yield market and local bond market. [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. "We love yuz all!" 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. Ultimately, he said the move was all about soft power and influence. [22], Robb is part owner of The Boathouse Group, which operates a number of Sydney restaurants and other venues. To connect a sign in method the email must match the one on your Crikey account. The Crikey comment section is members-only content. 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. The trade park being spruiked in Mr Robb's name is to be built in Rizhao, a thriving port city between Beijing and Shanghai. 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. [20][21] Robb's employment with Landbridge Group ended in 2018, which Robb attributed to an atmosphere increasingly critical of the Chinese government. John Garrick does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. 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". "There's not enough evidence for them to do that, other than the sense that this is a dumb move, and why would you do this when the money is already gone and 96 years on the lease to go?" That is obvious. 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. This website is dedicated to the public interest. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Mr Robb resigned as trade minister in February, before leaving Parliament at this year's election. Mr Ye is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015 . 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. They have been reactive, readily accepting the lure of pearls cast on our shores without considering longer-term currents. Shandong Landbridge has substantial and varied interests including port logistics and petrochemicals. Our focus is investigations into big business, particularly multinational tax avoidance, banking and the energy sector. [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. 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'. Mr Robb had announced months earlier he would not recontest his seat of Goldstein. What about Andrew Robb? 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. All above board, maybe, but does it really pass the pub test? Infrastucture Australia advised privatisation. 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. 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. Yes, in breaking through we have got a little bloodied, but our efforts were not in vain, and they must not be in vain. 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. Fairfax Media and Four Corners are not suggesting that Mr Robb has breached his obligations as an ex-minister. Balancing between powerful friends with competing interests may not prove easy. He's got a global strategy for his company and he wants me to help him outside of Australia more than he wants me to help him inside Australia.". "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.". 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. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. "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.". 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. Until his recent retirement from politics, Andrew Robb was Australia's Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism. As soon as he left politics, Robb was hired by Shandong Landbridge on a $880,000 per year salary. Rather than sell outright, the territory government decided to lease the port, and sell a controlling stake in the ports operator. 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". An agreement between Darwins city council and an overseas municipal counterpart normally wouldnt attract much attention. The Landbridge group had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015 during Robb's time as trade minister. 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. Billionaire Ye Cheng is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015. It invites reflection on the wisdom, three years ago, of the Northern Territory government deciding to lease the Port of Darwin (now known as Darwin Port) to a Chinese company for 99 years and of the federal government going along with it. Landbridge head Ye Cheng, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then trade envoy Andrew Robb in Beijing in April 2016. Mr Robb continues to advocate for Australia to back the policy although has previously insisted this is unconnected to his Landbridge consultancy. Robb and Hewson fell out over these events. We are guided by a deceptively simple, old idea: tell the truth and shame the devil. Ninety-six years is a long time by any standard. And just last week, Landbridge (a private company, despite links to the Chinese Government) started official construction on a new $200 million luxury hotel on the Darwin waterfront. 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 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. 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. Mr Katter's opposition to the Port of Darwin sale - 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. 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. Robb became deputy director of the Liberal Party before being appointed chief of staff to Andrew Peacock, then Leader of the Opposition, in 1989. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. 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. Glenn Campbell. 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. Now not so much. Can the Darwin Port's 99-year lease to China be reversed? Though privately owned, like many Chinese companies it has strong ties to the ruling Chinese Communist Party. Read more: 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. Read more: 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. 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. "He has no credibility now, he left Parliament and went to work for Chinese interests," he said. But it will not share any profit that Landbridge may eventually make. In that time Robb also sat on the boards of numerous Australian companies including Australia's largest consulting engineering company, Sinclair Knight Merz. 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. You have entered an incorrect email address! Australias foreign investment review processes have been tightened. Mr Ye placed Mr Robb on his payroll 10 weeks later. 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. Mr Robb said he was not doing business in Australia so could not be captured by the new scheme. Darwin is now on the front line in managing tensions between Australias most important strategic ally and partner and its major trading partner. 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. 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". Leasing Darwin Port was a political not a legal decision, made in Canberra not Darwin. Murders of Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine, Minister for Vocational and Further Education, hired by Shandong Landbridge on a $880,000 per year salary, Learn how and when to remove this template message, JapanAustralia Economic Partnership Agreement, "Liberal Andrew Robb takes $880k China job as soon as he finishes in parliament", "Andrew Robb quits China-linked form before foreign interference law kicks in", "With memories of '93, the opposition readies the troops never to lose an unlosable election again", "ROBB: Andrew: Officer of the Order of Australia", "Liberals quietly go monarchist under Abbott", "Tony Abbott's cabinet and outer ministry", "Andrew Robb's secret China contract: money for nothing", "Andrew Robb unleashes over being targeted in foreign probe", "Robb joins Chinese company with control of Darwin Port", "Coalition defends Andrew Robb after revelation he started job while an MP", "ASIO warned politicians about taking cash from Huang Xiangmo, Chau Chak Wing", "China's 'invisible billionaire' the Port of Darwin's new owner", "Robb says work on a project in China was 'put in the bin' over toxic relations", "Investors keep The Boathouse Group afloat", "Coronavirus pandemic could trigger a spike in mental illness this organisation thinks psychedelic drugs will help", "Interview with Neil Mitchell, 3AW 693am: Andrew Robb MP - Federal Member for Goldstein", Andrew Robb profile on TheyVoteForYou.Org.Au, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Andrew_Robb&oldid=1151969229, Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia, Members of the Australian House of Representatives, Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Goldstein, All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English, BLP articles lacking sources from August 2007, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 10:13. Mr James said Mr Robb's comments seemed to be made to advance the position of the Chinese business interests he served. Robb remained a member of . Robb was also a board member of community organisations including the Garvan Medical Research Foundation and the 'Big Brothers Big Sisters' organisation. 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. In 2015, a 99-year lease was granted to the Chinese-owned Landbridge Group, a transaction that has since ignited significant . But the Darwin port deal differs in significant ways to other port acquisitions. 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 . Were working to restore it. If the deal falls over, the government will need to seek new equity partners. The company knows how to cultivate political connections. Barnaby Joyce has called on former trade minister Andrew Robb to answer questions on his role with Landbridge - leasee of the Darwin port - as former top US intelligence chief James Clapper . 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. "Australia-China political relations had "turned to custard" and . Rang Jeff Kennett and within three days he had me in front one of the best professionals in the state and this guy said you know you've had a problem for fifty years, you've had it for fifty years but he said it was fixable, which was fantastic."[27]. Robb approved Chinese company Shandong Landbridge Group to lease Port Darwin for 99 years. 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 arrangement, uncovered by a Fairfax Media-Four Corners investigation, involves monthly payments of $73,000 (including GST) to Mr Robb starting on July 1, 2016. "I had been commissioned by Landbridge for well over a year to prepare a comprehensive report on ways that Australia's world class health industry could assist with a major improvement of China's public health system," Mr Robb wrote in answer to questions. In 2007, Robb was elevated to the Ministry and took on the role as Minister for Vocational and Further Education. 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. Clumsiness and indecision do not serve Australian interests well. 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. There are endless opportunities in Northern Australia; the trick is to have government truly engaged as a partner in attracting the critical investment dollars. Howard had to be talked out of dumping Andrew in 1995 from his position as Federal director. Charles Darwin University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. At these challenging times, we need to work hard to reverse the souring of our political relationship. 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. FORMER trade minister Andrew Robb has become a "high-level economic consultant" with Landbridge, the Chinese company that operates Darwin Port . 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. Andrew John Robb AO (born 20 August 1951) is an Australian former politician. Port Darwin.
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