"We love yuz all!" 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. Darwin port deal is a nice little earner. He writes news and analysis with a focus on foreign policy, legal affairs and government transparency. Why don't more Australians know about the bombing of Darwin? Mr Robb resigned as trade minister in February, before leaving Parliament at this year's election. 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. This suggests Chinese authorities regard Darwin as having strategic significance. Katter says tear up Darwin Port lease to China now - Cairns News But it will not share any profit that Landbridge may eventually make. Cash Because it's for sale! The full text of this article is available to MacroBusiness subscribers, Cancel at any time through our billing provider, Stripe. . Former PM Rudd urges review of lease of Darwin Port to China company That is obvious. Copyright 2023 Private Media Pty Ltd. Publishers of Crikey. Former federal trade minister Andrew Robb took an annual $880,000 job with Landbridge after leaving federal parliament. Our focus is investigations into big business, particularly multinational tax avoidance, banking and the energy sector. Landbridge signed . 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". Mr Ye placed Mr Robb on his payroll 10 weeks later. 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. 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. Robb and Hewson fell out over these events. That was the day before the 2016 federal election, that Mr Robb had stated months earlier he would not be contesting. Quite the reverse. "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. When those loans come payable and the countries can't cover the debt, China assumes control of those infrastructure assets. A Darwinian survival story: Barnaby's northern port is more of a crazy "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. 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. The risks of a new Cold War between the US and China are real: here's why. We are guided by a deceptively simple, old idea: tell the truth and shame the devil. By Leith van Onselen. Weaknesses in Australian governments at all levels have been revealed. In Australia it gave influential Liberal Party figure and former trade minister Andrew Robb an $880,000 job just months after he . The details of the consultancy have never been disclosed by Mr Ye or Mr Robb. Read more: The port has operated in a number of locations, including Stokes Hill Wharf, Cullen Bay and East Arm Wharf. Kishor is a federal politics reporter for Crikey, based in the Canberra press gallery. An agreement between Darwins city council and an overseas municipal counterpart normally wouldnt attract much attention. The was not without its controversy - even before Australia-China relations soured, as Andrew Robb, a former minister for trade, took an $880,000 consultancy position with the Chinese group immediately following his exit from politics in 2016. Why did the NT lease Darwin Port to China? Fairfax Media and Four Corners are not suggesting that Mr Robb has breached his obligations as an ex-minister. "That model of developing other sites around the waterfront is part of the model that has been used in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Djibouti and other places," he said. Darwin port deal is a nice little earner - Australian Financial Review Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. In February 2016, Andrew Robb quit his role as Australia's trade minister having just finalised the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement. The bid for the port was examined and approved by the Foreign Investments Review Board, the Defence Department and ASIO. No claim Robb breached code: Ryan In some cases the tone hasnt taken account of the sensitivities on the Chinese side, said Robb. 27 Apr 2023 00:13:32 Andrew Robb, federal minister for trade and investment said . Were working to restore it. Port Darwin - Wikipedia He was Honorary Finance Director for the NSW Division of the Liberal Party and a member of the NSW State Executive. But the deal put Darwin directly in the crossfire between US and Chinese interests. "He's now saying that any criticisms of improper Chinese behaviour attempting to influence our political system is our fault. Mr Robb's job with Landbridge commenced on July 1, 2016, according to a Four Corners Fairfax Media 2017 joint investigation. In 2015, a 99-year lease was granted to the Chinese-owned Landbridge Group, a transaction that has since ignited significant . Back then it was criticised over national security implications, and drew a rebuke from former US president Barack Obama. 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 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, You can submit your questions on any topic at all, or vote on our next investigation, former United States president Barack Obama, who said he would have liked a heads up on the deal before it happened, Landbridge (a private company, despite links to the Chinese Government) started official construction on a new $200 million luxury hotel on the Darwin waterfront, Former federal trade minister Andrew Robb took an annual $880,000 job with Landbridge, about a "toxic" relationship between Australia and China that he blamed on former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and Australia's intelligence agencies, 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. [26] Robb disclosed that, since adolescence, he had suffered depression for several hours each day in the morning. Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. Mr Robb also took a shot at former deputy PM Barnaby Joyce for his role in the deteriorating relationship with China. 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. Peter Dutton says circumstances were different in 2015. Robb approved Chinese company Shandong Landbridge Group to lease Port Darwin for 99 years. 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. Andrew Robb's secret China contract: money for nothing [23], As of 2020, Robb serves as a director on the board of Mind Medicine Australia,[24] a not-for-profit organisation which promotes the introduction of psychedelic treatments for mental illnesses. Liberal Andrew Robb took $880k China job as soon as he left Parliament. Theyll copy it if anything. Hearing senior Treasury staff describe the Northern Territory's budget as being in "dire straits" is the bureaucratic equivalent to saying, "we're stuffed". Previously, he was a general reporter in Crikey's Sydney office, where he started in 2018 while completing an arts/law degree at the University of Sydney. by Elizabeth Minter | Jul 20, 2020 | Deceptive Conduct, Liberal Party, QED. 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. and back in 2016, when former trade minister Andrew Robb was enjoying his $880,000 a year consulting contract with Landbridge, . 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 Blokes Who Sold Darwin Port To China Still Acting Like They Give A Fuck "Debate and transparency and honesty about things is not bad. And what role, if any, did Andrew Robb play? 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. One of Mr Ye's companies later produced lobbying material in Mr Robb's name in which the former trade minister described the Rizhao trade park as a project that "advances the objectives in the historic (CHAFTA) accord [that] I was honoured to play a significant role" while trade minister. 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. Balancing between powerful friends with competing interests may not prove easy. In this capacity Robb worked with the next Leader of the Liberal Party, John Hewson, in the unsuccessful 1993 federal election campaign.
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