Chris Bowen and Chris Minns in spotlight over six-figure donation from Beijing-linked association
Updated
A rising Labor star running for leadership of the NSW party received a $5,000 "moving expenses" payment as part of a six-figure donation to Labor by an association linked to a Sydney businessman with deep links to the Chinese Communist Party, the ABC can reveal.
Key points:
- According to an ALP invoice, the $5,000 payment was taken out of a $100,000 donation from a community association run by Frank Chou to Labor's federal health spokesman Chris Bowen in 2013
- Mr Chou is one of Sydney's highest profile Chinese-Australian businessmen and has abiding connections to Beijing's influence-peddling machine, the United Front Works Department
- He tells the ABC the donation may have been made of behalf of one or more "businessmen friends", which could be a breach of federal electoral law
The $5,000 payment to Labor MP Chris Minns also raised questions for Labor's federal health spokesman Chris Bowen, who was the beneficiary of the $100,000 donation from which Mr Minns's payment was drawn.
The donation and payment were the latest in a series of disturbing allegations regarding Chinese Communist Party influence exerted over Australian politiciansvia large donations from Beijing-backed businessmen, including the occasionalpayment of politicians' personal expenses.
Two party insiders described the payment as unusual, while others said the airing of old incidents was an example of how toxic the NSW branch of the Labor Party has become as it chooses a new parliamentary leader.
Mr Minns is running against fellow Labor MP Jodi McKay for leadership of the NSW parliamentary party,promising a "fresh approach".
The results of a leadership ballot will be known later this month.
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The donation and payment were discussed internally by the Labor Party but remained confidential for six years, until the ABC recently obtained a pair of internal ALP invoices.
The invoices detailed the $100,000 donation to Mr Bowen's 2013 re-election campaign in the federal seat of McMahon, and the subsequent $5,000 payment to Mr Minns.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-12/alp-invoice-reveals-expenses-payment-to-chris-minns/11191042
