Architect of Australia’s foreign interference laws admits China was the target, but says they failed

Name: Australian government orders review of Chinese-made surveillance cameras in defence offices
Uploaded: 2023-02-21T08:01:09.000Z
Duration: 2 min 18 s
Description: Australian government orders review of Chinese-made surveillance cameras in defence offices

Malcolm Turnbull, a former Australian prime minister who introduced the laws, said on Tuesday that the ‘key purpose’ was to expose China’s activities

But he told a parliamentary committee that the scheme had failed to do this as China doesn’t ‘seem to appear’ on the foreign interest register

Reading Time:1 minute

Why you can trust SCMP

Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s then-prime minister, pictured with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2016. Photo: AFP

Reuters

Published: 4:01pm, 21 Feb 2023

Exposing China’s activities was the “key purpose” of Australia’s foreign interference laws but the scheme has failed to do this, former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who introduced the laws, said on Tuesday.

The Australian government was careful not to name China when introducing laws to prevent foreign interference in 2018, but the move nonetheless sparked tension with Australia’s largest trading partner that later developed into a diplomatic freeze.

Turnbull told a parliamentary committee the “key purpose” of a foreign interest register was to disclose the links the Communist Party’s United Front Work Department had formed in Australia.

02:18

Australian government orders review of Chinese-made surveillance cameras in defence offices

“The most active state and political party seeking to influence public affairs in Australia is China ... but they don’t seem to appear on the register,” he told a parliamentary inquiry in Canberra on Tuesday.

The law was aimed at authoritarian states and not Australia’s security allies, and geopolitical tensions had worsened since it was introduced, he added.

The Albanese government, elected in May, has sought to stabilise relations with Beijing and wants to restart exports to China that were hit by trade bans during the diplomatic dispute, but says it has not changed its policy on China.

The committee is examining whether to adjust the foreign interference laws to improve their effectiveness.