From the AFR:
Labor Senator Sam Dastyari pledged to respect China’s position on the South China Sea at an election campaign press conference he held with a Chinese political donor who had previously paid his legal bills.
…The Coalition has accused the senator of destabilising Australian foreign policy in making the comments as they contravene both Labor and the government’s stance on the issue.
Mr Turnbull, speaking from the G20 conference in Hangzhou in Southern China, said Mr Shorten’s decision to stand by the senator amounted to supporting “cash for comment”.
“The real question today is this: I’m here in China standing up for Australia. I’m standing up for Australia.
“Back home, Bill Shorten is standing up for Sam Dastyari’s right to take cash from a company, associated with a foreign government, and then express a view on foreign policy that undermines the Australian government’s foreign policy, which has been supported by Mr Shorten himself.
Very obviously, Mr Dastyari should resign. Sure, he didn’t break any laws but you can’t have folks taking foreign dough and being questionable on foreign policy. A lesson learned is not enough, a line must be drawn.
Once that’s done, Prime Minster Turnbull needs to begin a real process of reform to bribery donations rules for the Federal Parliament so that his own party stops taking the same money.
