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". Andrew Robb today completely rejected the assertions and innuendo made in a piece of gutter journalism in the Sunday Age newspaper. In Australia it gave influential Liberal Party figure and former trade minister Andrew Robb an $880,000 job just months after he . Many of you have written to us over the past week wanting to know what can be done about it, more than three years after the deal was signed that saw one of Australia's most strategic assets leased away for a one-time payment. "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.". But the Darwin port deal differs in significant ways to other port acquisitions. Were sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. And what role, if any, did Andrew Robb play? If the deal falls over, the government will need to seek new equity partners. 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'. 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. A companydocument revealed that Mr Robbs consulting contract was so vague and ill-defined he would be paid even if he did nothing. Darwin Port lease to Chinese company Landbridge should be - ABC Can the Darwin Port's 99-year lease to China be reversed? Ye Cheng, of Landbridge, and then trade minister Andrew Robb in 2015. "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. Howard had to be talked out of dumping Andrew in 1995 from his position as Federal director. "We love yuz all!" 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. Opportunities exist across website, brand awareness, podcasts, social media content, and video campaigns. "There's a pattern it's like a blueprint. "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?" The Landbridge group had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015 during Robbs time as trade minister. It is a far cry from the debt-trap colonialism China stands accused of using to gain leverage over other foreign governments, such as Sri Lanka and Nepal. Two years after clinching a historic free trade deal with Beijing, former trade minister Andrew Robb has become a "high-level economic consultant" with the Chinese company that now operates Darwin Port. "He has no credibility now, he left Parliament and went to work for Chinese interests," he said. 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. I remember when liberals sold off the Port of Darwin to China just so minister Andrew Robb, who authorised the sell off, could get a post politics grift. Chinese influence compromises the integrity of our politics. Darwin Port owner Landbridge seeks $500m loan from China Three months later, Mr Robb was on Landbridge's payroll. It ended with the city being decimated 77 short years ago. For some, it's the exercise of debt and debt collection.". Yet risk exposure may take other forms. The Chinese owner of the Port of Darwin is using the port as security to seek a $500 million loan from the Chinese government's trade bank. While the leasing of Port of Darwin to Chinese firm Landbridge by the Northern Territory government in 2015 raised national security fears at the time, . Contact us on: [email protected] or call the hotline: +61 (03) 8623 9900. Darwin port deal is a nice little earner. by Elizabeth Minter | Jul 20, 2020 | Deceptive Conduct, Liberal Party, QED. Crikey is an independent Australian source for news, investigations, analysis and opinion focusing on politics, media, economics, health, international affairs, the climate, business, society and culture. The port has operated in a number of locations, including Stokes Hill Wharf, Cullen Bay and East Arm Wharf. Christopher Pyne and the revolving door of MPs turned lobbyists He was Honorary Finance Director for the NSW Division of the Liberal Party and a member of the NSW State Executive. Were working to restore it. That is obvious. [10], Robb is a republican;[11] he is against abortion except where the health and state of the mother are in serious threat.[12]. Former trade minister Andrew Robb becomes a "high-level economic consultant" with the Chinese company that now operates Darwin Port, a $506 million deal that sparked concerns at the highest levels . Mr Robb recently resigned his position with Landbridge, saying they did not have much work for him to do. He writes news and analysis with a focus on foreign policy, legal affairs and government transparency. As the federal trade minister, Mr Robb did publicly support the Darwin Port deal, calling it a "powerful sign" of a commercial partnership between China and Australia through a free trade agreement he had helped establish. Glenn Campbell. There are certain things that have been thousands of years in the making with regard to China, such as saving face.. The full text of this article is available to MacroBusiness subscribers, Cancel at any time through our billing provider, Stripe. [26] Robb disclosed that, since adolescence, he had suffered depression for several hours each day in the morning. As with other Chinese port acquisitions, such as in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Greece and Djibouti, Landbridge is interested in acquiring and developing not only Darwins port facilities but nearby waterfront property. It was a decision that baffled everyone from NT locals to Barack Obama, a strategic asset lease that slipped past the Foreign Investment Review Board and Defence. "Oh, that was like 7 years ago," said Dutton about Former Trade Minister Andrew Robb's advocacy to give Chinese company Landbridge a 99-year lease to the Port of Darwin. Mr Ye's interest in the winery is via his brother, Gang Ye. Fake news. [22], Robb is part owner of The Boathouse Group, which operates a number of Sydney restaurants and other venues. Liberal Andrew Robb takes $880k China job as soon as he finishes in In some cases the tone hasnt taken account of the sensitivities on the Chinese side, said Robb. RT @TwoEyeHead: Govt to spend $3.8billion beefing up far Northern military assets. Of course it's not our fault. Katter says tear up Darwin Port lease to China now - Cairns News 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. Andrew Robb's $880k China consultancy started day - Michael West An agreement between Darwins city council and an overseas municipal counterpart normally wouldnt attract much attention. 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. In 2015, a 99-year lease was granted to the Chinese-owned Landbridge Group, a transaction that has since ignited significant . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); With access to over 4 million readers per month, and often more, we provide opportunities to add value to different brands across the country who are interested. In Australia it gave influential Liberal Party figure and former trade minister Andrew Robb an $880,000 job just months after he retired from parliament. 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. 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 continues to advocate for Australia to back the policy although has previously insisted this is unconnected to his Landbridge consultancy. Listen to the news in Warlpiri, Yolngu Matha and Kriol, Jock Zonfrillo, celebrated chef and judge on MasterChef Australia, dies aged 46, MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo remembered for 'wicked sense of humour', Lauren Cranston jailed for eight years over one of Australia's biggest tax frauds, Tony Abbott mounts attack on Voice after a spat with parliamentary committee, 'They will forever know their dad was a hero': 1,000 mourners farewell slain NSW paramedic, Nurse driving home from shift among victims of triple-fatal crash involving allegedly stolen car, There are 11 First Nations MPs and senators. The Landbridge group had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015 during Robb's time as trade minister. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Mr Brumby announced in February he was quitting the Australian board of Huawei, the Chinese telco accused by security agencies of posing a security risk to western communications infrastructure. 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. Ye Cheng, of Landbridge, and then trade minister Andrew Robb in 2015. Credit: Glenn Campbell. We are guided by a deceptively simple, old idea: tell the truth and shame the devil. All Rights Reserved. Nine years of serving you has come to an end! Quite the reverse. and I said, 'well, I'd love to but I've been a minister in a cabinet, in a related area, I can't do any work for you in Australia and I can't do it for 18 months'," he said. Mr Robb was reported to have pocketed more than $2 million plus expenses in his time. President Xi subsequently established an integration committee to oversee civilian and military investment in technology. 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. "In our situation, there was an upfront payment for 99 years and then the strategy unfolds," he said. #auspol. In cases like Sri Lanka, China offered loans to build infrastructure. "It's probably too late to do anything. Keep up with the latest ASX and business news, MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo dies at age of 46. This was discounted by some commentators as hyperbole, an attempt to curry favour with the Chinese government. Port Darwin: reverse Andrew Robb's greedy blunder - MORNING MAIL The port's acquisition sparked a major controversy after then US president Barack Obama complained he hadn't been forewarned. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop defended Mr Robb's decision, telling the ABC he should be allowed to have a post-Parliament career. As soon as he left politics, Robb was hired by Shandong Landbridge on a $880,000 per year salary. After embarrassing themselves by mangling some weird Relgious Discrimination Bill that even hardcore Christians werent that keen on, the Government is trying to convince the nation that we will be a Chinese-controlled territory if a Labor government is voted in at the next election. Robb and Hewson fell out over these events. 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. Port of Darwin lease: don't hold your breath! - MORNING MAIL Follow our live coverage. It is backed by the Communist Party-controlled Rizhao City Government in partnership with Mr Ye. 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. [14], Robb is a board member of the Kidman cattle enterprise and the Network Ten television station. "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?' Andrew Robb [4] 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. Neither has the fact that Mr Robb is being used to spruik a Chinese Communist Party-backed trade park as part of his consultancy agreement. A Darwinian survival story: Barnaby's northern port is more of a crazy [13] He had carriage of final negotiations for the AustraliaKorea Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA), JapanAustralia Economic Partnership Agreement, ChinaAustralia Free Trade Agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership which have concluded by the federal government. Mr Ye publicly announced on September 2 last year that Mr Robb had been appointed as a "high-level economic consultant". Oh, that was like 7 years ago, said Dutton about Former Trade Minister Andrew Robbs advocacy to give Chinese company Landbridge a 99-year lease to the Port of Darwin. [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. In that time Robb also sat on the boards of numerous Australian companies including Australia's largest consulting engineering company, Sinclair Knight Merz. We recognise that their sovereignty has never been ceded. 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. At the time the new owner, billionaire Ye Cheng, claimed the Darwin port deal was our involvement in One Belt, One Road. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. Many Curious Darwin readers asked how Mr Robb was involved in the port deal. The trade park being spruiked in Mr Robb's name is to be built in Rizhao, a thriving port city between Beijing and Shanghai. Port in a storm: the Darwin lease made sense only a few years ago. Australias foreign investment review processes have been tightened. Robb was also a board member of community organisations including the Garvan Medical Research Foundation and the 'Big Brothers Big Sisters' organisation. 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. 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. Please login to engage in the commentary. [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. In December 2017, then Attorney-General George Brandis suggested that Mr Robb would have to sign up to the new register. [25], During 2009 Laurie Oakes's column in The Australian, Robb disclosed that he was stepping down from the opposition front bench for three months to address a form of depression brought on by Diurnal Variation, which is typically experienced as positive mood variation (PMV mood being worse upon waking and better in the evening). Mr Katter's opposition to the Port of Darwin sale - Chinese-owned company Landbridge has a 99-year lease over the Darwin Port. In April 2016, less than three months before his consultancy agreement began, Mr Robb visited China with an Australian delegation in his capacity as Australia's trade envoy. He is also a member of the national Chinese People's Consultative . Former trade minister Andrew Robb takes role with Chinese company Andrew Robb joins Chinese company with control of Darwin Port Mr Carr recently announced he was stepping down as director of the Australia-China Relations Institute, which was founded by controversial billionaire political donor Huang Xiangmo. Australias number one patriot, the former trade minister that negotiated the China FTA and the leasing of Darwin Port to Chinese interests before going to work for the new owner shortly afterwards, has declared its fine to seize it back: Meh. [15], In October 2016, it was announced that Robb had joined the Landbridge Group,[16][17] a Chinese company which had been granted a 99-year lease on Port Darwin in 2015, as a "high-level economic consultant". Landbridge head Ye Cheng, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and then trade envoy Andrew Robb in Beijing in April 2016. 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. Mr Ye is the owner of Landbridge, which controversially acquired the 99-year lease for the Port of Darwin in 2015 . FORMER trade minister Andrew Robb has become a "high-level economic consultant" with Landbridge, the Chinese company that operates Darwin Port . Andrew Robb Pty LtdC/- Ellerston Capital Level 4, 75-77 Flinders LaneMelbourne, VIC, 3000, Australia.Tel: +61 2 9021 7743, Andrew Robb Pty LtdC/- Ellerston CapitalLevel 11, 179 Elizabeth StreetSydney, NSW, 2000, Australia.Tel:+61 2 9021 7743, All other questions, please use the form on the right, Andrew Robb Pty Ltd C/- Ellerston Capital, Level 11, 179 Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia.Ph: +61 2 9021 7743, READ MORE ABOUT BLACK DOG DAZE, CLICK HERE, Australian ASEAN Business ForumOpening Speech, Australia and China: There is always a way forward, Live cattle exports: Farmers fear betrayal, and a future of uncertainty, MEDIA RELEASE: Robb Rejects The Age Gutter Journalism, ASIAN MARKETS THE FUTURE POWERHOUSE: ROBB, Helping Australian companies to trade or invest into countries in the Asia Pacific region, Helping companies from the Asia Pacific region to trade or invest into Australia. 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. In this capacity Robb worked with the next Leader of the Liberal Party, John Hewson, in the unsuccessful 1993 federal election campaign.
