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Australia s foreign interference laws will be tested in the High Court in Canberra today, when former Labor adviser John Zhang challenges the validity of warrants used to seize his passport, phones and computers.
Key points:
Police are investigating whether former Labor adviser John Zhang was involved in an alleged foreign interference plot
Cash, phones, hard drives and other items were seized in searches Mr Zhang claims were not lawful
His case will be heard today in the High Court, in a test of the government s foreign interference laws
Mr Zhang has not been charged with anything.
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Chinese Australians ask ‘why is the government picking on us?’ after landmark survey Su-Lin Tan The Lowy Institute survey findings were released against the backdrop of increasing scrutiny of Chinese Australians have endured increased scrutiny and racism in recent years. Photo: Shutterstock Images
After findings from a government-commissioned public opinion poll of Australians with Chinese heritage were released earlier this month, Melbourne-based media studies scholar Haiqing Yu noticed one question recurring in the community s discussion of the survey on social media.
According to Yu, a professor at RMIT, Chinese Australians on microblogging platform Weibo and chat app WeChat were querying the survey - done by independent think tank Lowy Institute - and asking: Why is the government picking on us?
February 5, 2021
Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal China’s influence in Australia, real or alleged, is a major issue in politics today.
Numerous Chinese investments in Australia have been blocked. The Chinese company Huawei has been banned from participating in the 5G rollout.
In June NSW Labor MP Shaoquett Moselmane had his ALP membership suspended after an Australian Federal Police raid on his office over allegations that he was being cultivated by Chinese government agents. He was never charged and his ALP membership was reinstated in November. Former staffer John Zhang remains under investigation.
Academic Clive Hamilton has been a leading anti-China voice. He says Australia is “the global leader pushing back against the Chinese Communist Party’s interference”.
Chinese-origin businessman wins media defamation case in Australia 2 minutes read
Sydney, Australia, Feb 2 (efe-epa).- A federal court on Tuesday ordered Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to compensate a Chinese-origin billionaire for defaming and wrongly portraying him as a spy for the Chinese Communist Party.
The public broadcaster had depicted Chau Chak Wing, an Australian citizen, in a 2017 “Four Corners” episode as a Chinese spy who sought to influence Australia’s Chinese policy by paying enormous sums of money to political parties as bribes.
He was also accused of bribing a high-level United Nations official.
Judge Steven Rares said the allegations “struck at the heart of Chau’s good name for his integrity, philanthropy, and constructive contributions to developing a positive relationship between Australia and China.”
In the public interest : AFP defends raiding Labor staffer as part of China probe
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The Australian Federal Police has warned the High Court of the risk of “unscrambling” its investigation into a suspected foreign interference plot by a NSW Labor staffer if it is forced to hand back evidence seized during raids earlier this year.
The warning is contained in the AFP’s defence to a High Court challenge by former ALP staffer John Zhang, who is attempting to quash search warrants executed against him and to secure the return of the material seized.