Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister really opposes foreign donations, why has the coalition voted against banning foreign donations three times in previous parliaments? Will the Prime Minister agree to bring Labor's private member's bill on for a vote in the House today so we can ban foreign donations once and for all?

Mr Falinski interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mackellar will cease interjecting.

Mr Falinski interjecting—

The member for Mackellar is warned!

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think honourable members would take the Leader of the Opposition more seriously on foreign donations were it not for the fact that Senator Dastyari took a personal donation to himself from a Chinese donor and then proceeded to do a switch on Labor's policy on the South China Sea at a press conference in the Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices in Sydney at two lecterns, each of which had the Australian coat of arms on them. It was a disgraceful performance of cash for comment and a clear policy switch. The Leader of the Opposition stood him down from the frontbench for just six months. That is how seriously he took it.

I made a commitment at the beginning of this year that we would ban foreign donations. I did that. You could drive a truck through Labor's bill. We will be introducing legislation in the spring session that deals with it. As honourable members would be well aware, it is important in light of the findings of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters that any such ban is comprehensive and is not simply limited to political parties but applied to other political organisations, like GetUp! and the unions. It needs to be a comprehensive ban so that only Australians and Australian businesses have the ability to have a say through donations on the political contest. We are committed to doing that.

The Labor Party's track record in this area is demonstrated manifestly by Senator Dastyari's case. Let us not forget that he solicited money from a foreign donor. He accepted it. It was given to him not because he was a nice guy, not because he was hard up but because he was a senator. He got that privileged payment. He used his position to get that payment and then he opposed the longstanding policy of the Labor Party on a vitally important issue of national security. For all of that, he was in the sin-bin for six months. The Leader of the Opposition has got a long way to go before anyone will take him seriously on foreign donations.

Ms Owens interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Parramatta is warned.