Andrew Shearer, who served as a national security advisor under former Australian Prime Ministers Tony Abbot and John Howard, told CNBC via e-mail that he had “become increasingly concerned over the past decade” about the Chinese government building leverage over Australian domestic politics.
Shearer described Turnbull’s proposals as “a good start,” but he warned that a “resourceful foreign power will work hard to find ways around the news laws,” such as targeting Australian citizens rather than foreign nationals.
According to Reuters, approximately one third of countries worldwide permit foreign donations to political parties — including Australia and New Zealand. By contrast, the process is outlawed in the U.S. and the U.K. Turnbull’s latest overhaul is in part based on the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act.
Earlier this year, it was reported that a China-born New Zealand lawmaker was being investigated for being a Chinese spy, which he denies.
Australia and New Zealand, alongside the U.S., the U.K. and Canada, comprise the Five Eyes intelligence gathering alliance.
In his Tuesday address, Turnbull said that his proposed reforms “are not about any one country.”
