House debates Questions without Notice
Donations to Political Parties
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General
2:34 pm
My question is to the foreign minister. I refer to the receipt of $500,000 in donations by the Western Australian division of the Liberal Party by companies with links to the Chinese government and no business interests in Western Australia. What assurances can the foreign minister provide that these foreign donations have not influenced the policies of the government?
Unidentified interjection - Hansard doesn't record who said this
Government Members:
Government members interjecting—
Ms Julie Bishop Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs
All political donations to the Liberal Party of Australia are audited, as the Liberal Party is audited. All are declared in accordance with the AEC requirements, and I would expect that to be the case on the part of the Labor Party. Political donations to political parties are subject to AEC rules and requirements and subject to audit. I think it is quite apparent that the government's policy on foreign affairs is taken in the interests of the national interest. All decisions we take, whether it be on the South China Sea or whether it be on Australia's relationship with China, are taken in the national interest. I am proud of the consistency and the coherency of the Turnbull government's foreign policy.