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. Fairfax Media and Four Corners are not suggesting that Mr Robb has breached his obligations as an ex-minister. Please login to engage in the commentary. Andrew Robb says said "Canberra had every right to reassess the port lease in light of changing strategic circumstances. "I was approached two months after I finished in parliament and certainly about four or five months after I'd finished in cabinet and the [Landbridge] chairman said to me, 'would you consider coming and doing some work for me?' Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. The company knows how to cultivate political connections. David Llewellyn-Smith is Chief Strategist at the MB Fund and MB Super. 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. Opportunities exist across website, brand awareness, podcasts, social media content, and video campaigns. 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. Why did the NT lease Darwin Port to China? Former trade minister Andrew Robb AO has told delegates at Red Meat that Asia and, in particular China, is where Australia must focus for future red meat export opportunities. They must also ensure their personal conduct upholds the reputation of Parliament. Fake news. . 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. 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. [5], Robb resigned in 1997 (he was replaced by Lynton Crosby) and became a business consultant based in Sydney. He was an agricultural economist with the Victorian Department of Agriculture and a tutor in economics at La Trobe University before being an economist for the National Farmers' Federation, and later executive director of both the National Farmers' Federation and the Cattle Council of Australia. Chinese influence compromises the integrity of our politics. Former Australian trade minister Andrew Robb walked straight out of Parliament last year and into an $880,000-a-year job with a billionaire closely aligned to the Chinese Communist Party and its key trade policy. And 96 years from now is long enough for a lot more to happen. Mr Ye publicly announced on September 2 last year that Mr Robb had been appointed as a "high-level economic consultant". You can submit your questions on any topic at all, or vote on our next investigation. 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.Credit: Kym Smith, Mr Robb did not answer specific questions about his dealings with Landbridge, but said in a statement: "I can confirm that I fully understand my responsibilities as a former member of cabinet, and I can also confirm that I have, at all times, acted in accordance with those responsibilities.". 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 described the situation as "reviewable," suggesting he may beginworking for the company again in future. Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. The operator of Darwin Port is struggling to pay down debt and is reliant on a letter of support from its Chinese owner. Landbridge signed . 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. There are indications of some recognition of this at the federal level. Copyright 2023 Private Media Pty Ltd. Publishers of Crikey. Former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage said he was stunned that Australia had blind-sided its ally. Read more: 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. 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. by Elizabeth Minter | Jul 20, 2020 | Deceptive Conduct, Liberal Party, QED. Mr Robb has also been spruiking Rymill Coonawarra, a South Australian winery in which Mr Ye has a financial interest. . 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. This involves potential future actions by China as tensions flare up in the South China Sea and how Australia is positioned to respond as an American ally which had already been reprimanded by former United States president Barack Obama, who said he would have liked a heads up on the deal before it happened. And they have picked this bloke, the Leader of the Opposition, as their candidate.. . Andrew Robb quits China-linked firm before foreign interference law kicks in. 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. "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. "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. Former trade minister Andrew Robb, who . 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. "He has no credibility now, he left Parliament and went to work for Chinese interests," he said. [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. FORMER trade minister Andrew Robb has become a "high-level economic consultant" with Landbridge, the Chinese company that operates Darwin Port . The deal to lease parts of the port followed successive federal governments refusing to fund necessary upgrading of the ports infrastructure to meet growing demand. Landbridge Australia, a subsidiary of Shandong Landbridge, won the 99-year lease with its bid of A$506 million in November 2015. Mr Ye's interest in the winery is via his brother, Gang Ye. 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. "Rather than being xenophobic about this, we need to be alive to the commercial deals that are being done and what might come later," Dr Garrick said. Another Robb entity is facing (in mid 2019) a wind-up motion from the Commissioner of Taxation over unpaid taxes. A companydocument revealed that Mr Robbs consulting contract was so vague and ill-defined he would be paid even if he did nothing. Landbridge says if it happens then itll spike sovereign risk. But others may have learnt valuable lessons too. Many Curious Darwin readers asked how Mr Robb was . Andrew Robb, federal minister for trade and investment said . Until his recent retirement from politics, Andrew Robb was Australia's Minister for Trade, Investment and Tourism. Mr Brumby, Mr Carr and Mr Robb have previously insisted that the Chinese government has no tangible influence in the organisations they worked for, despite evidence the organisations founders were aligned with the Chinese Communist Party willingly, or because of the way the party-state controls seemingly private companies. "It is the responsibility of all former ministers to adhere to the Statement of Ministerial Standards and not take personal advantage of information to which they have had access as a minister where that information is not generally available to the public," Senator Ryan said in a statement. The Defence Department and ASIO have vetted and cleared Landbridge's acquisition of the port. . 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". The irony is that while at a political level our relationship is facing some difficulties, at a commercial level our relationship has never been better. This story is part two in our look at the port as part of Curious Darwin, our story series where you ask us the questions, vote for your favourite, and we investigate. The details of the consultancy have never been disclosed by Mr Ye or Mr Robb. 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. Then US president Barack Obama expressed concern about the lack of consultation. Our focus is investigations into big business, particularly multinational tax avoidance, banking and the energy sector. READ MORE ABOUT BLACK DOG DAZE, CLICK HERE. Balancing between powerful friends with competing interests may not prove easy. 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. 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. Mr Ye placed Mr Robb on his payroll 10 weeks later. Enter your email address and Crikey will send a Verification Code.
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