THE TIDE HAS TURNED VERY SUDDENLY FOR BILL SHORTEN

BILL Shorten is suddenly in trouble.

Labor is still way ahead in the polls, but the Opposition Leader’s judgment now looks bad on three fronts.

Shorten once told us he was “very confident” none of Labor’s MPs were dual citizens.

But now two admit they may be — Senator Katy Gallagher and David Feeney — and at least three more could also be referred to the High Court. That makes Shorten look shifty.

Shorten also hand- picked former NSW Premier Kristina Keneally as his “star” candidate for next week’s Bennelong by- election, even though she led possibly the most disgraced government in NSW history to a massive defeat.

Both the Liberals and Labor now think Keneally will fall well short of the 10 per cent swing she needs to topple John Alexander.

It was always going to be tough to win Bennelong, but campaigning so hard with his “star” made Shorten seem like he should win, and losing will make his choice of Keneally seem a mistake.

But this mistake won’t just raise dangerous expectations or cost votes. It also ties Shorten to the murky past of NSW Labor Inc.

Shorten’s third and worst problem is Senator Sam Dastyari, who threatens to destroy Labor unless he resigns.

Dastyari has raised huge money for Labor from Chinese donors such as tycoon Huang Xiangmo, but also accepted personal gifts and a donation for legal expenses from Huang.

In apparent exchange, Dastyari appeared with Huang at a Chinese event last year and said Australia had no business criticising China’s ( illegal) grab for the South China Sea.

Even worse, ASIO last year privately told Labor it was investigating Huang’s alleged ties to China’s communist regime, and Dastyari later went to Huang’s home and warned his phone could be bugged.

He said they should leave their phones inside and talk outside.

This is scandalous, and Dastyari has not explained why he apparently tried to subvert an investigation by our intelligence agencies into a possible security risk.

He says only that he didn’t know of ASIO’s warning, just journalists’ gossip.

Why is this man still in Labor? Why is he still in Parliament? Why is he refusing to explain his seemingly treasonous conduct?

And has Shorten asked these same questions? Shorten looks beholden to an unprincipled man.

The polls still favour Shorten, but his luck just ran dangerously dry.