Buck stops with PM

Turnbull wants action after Dutton met with China billionaire

MALCOLM Turnbull is “very, very concerned” about Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton’s meeting with a Chinese billionaire now banned from re-entering Australia.

Huang Xiangmo paid tens of thousands of dollars to a lobbyist in 2016 to secure a private lunch with Mr Dutton when he was immigration minister, in an attempt to fast track his citizenship application, it’s been claimed. The now-Home Affairs Minister said he agreed to the meeting because Mr Huang was a leader in the Australian Chinese community.

“I’ve never received a dollar from this individual. I had that one meeting with him over lunch. I haven’t seen him since. What’s he got from me? Well, he’s now offshore,” Mr Dutton said yesterday. But former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said Mr Dutton and lobbyist Santo Santoro – a former Liberal government minister – had a lot to explain.

“Remember the furore that arose about Sam Dastyari? All the same, issues have arisen again,” Mr Turnbull said.

“This has to be addressed at the highest level of security … by the Prime Minister. The buck stops with him.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Mr Huang had been banned from Australia and Mr Dastyari forced to resign after he tipped off Mr Huang about an investigation into him.

“When it comes to these issues our Government’s record is squeaky clean,” Mr Morrison said.

Mr Dastyari tweeted a link to a news story about the meeting and said: “I resigned for less.” Mr Huang paid money to Mr Santoro in 2016 while mounting a campaign to secure Australian citizenship. He then met with Mr Dutton at a Chinese restaurant in Sydney, according to an investigation by the ABC’s Four Corners.

Mr Dutton denied citizenship was discussed. Labor argues the incident strikes at the integrity of the immigration system and Mr Dutton’s ministerial performance.