Shorten slugged taxpayers for flights, limos & TA to attend Huang family wedding?
Thursday, 11 April 2019
The Australian today published photos showing Bill Shorten at the January 2016 wedding of Carina Xiangmo, the daughter of Chinese communist billionaire and $1M Labor donor Huang Xiangmo.
Bill Shorten is facing further scrutiny over his relationship with a Chinese businessman and former ALP donor with links to the Chinese Communist Party Huang Xiangmo following the release of photographs of the Labor leader attending the wedding of Mr Huang’s daughter.
The photographs emerged following a refusal by Mr Shorten’s office to explain a lunch he attended with Mr Huang in 2015 after the Chinese billionaire made a $55,000 donation to the Labor Party.
Since 2012, Mr Huang and his Yuhu Group are believed to have donated more than $1 million to the ALP.
ENDS
Andrew Robb also attended the wedding. Both Shorten and Robb live in Melbourne.
It appears from Shorten and Robb's expense claims that:
- the wedding was held on 28 January 2016
- both men charged their attendance to taxpayers
Here's Shorten's expense claims:
And here are Andrew Robbs:
We are indebted to Seeker of Truth for researching this story!
Here's how Seeker did it:
The wedding was held in Sydney at the Shangri La hotel in January 2016. It had also been reported that Andrew Robb was a guest at this wedding. Federal Parliament was in recess in January 2016 for the summer break so not much happening for the pollies.
I didn't have an exact date for the wedding but I knew that both Shorten and Robb attended. Both Robb and Shorten live in Melbourne suburbs. I thought that there was a possibility that both these politicians charged the taxpayers for their attendance at this wedding. I had to find something that showed both of them in Sydney on the same date in January 2016. What better place to look than the Dept of Finance's Final Reports for both politicians' expenditure for the period 1 January to 30 June, 2016.
I struck gold. Shorten and Robb weren't doing much in January 2016 that they could claim on. However, the Final Report for each politician disclosed that they were in Sydney on 28 & 29 January 2016. That was a Thursday and Friday. I don't know if weddings for Chinese couples are held on weekdays but it struck me as suspicious that both men were in Sydney on these days.
The Reports show "Official Business" for 28 January but a Google search for that day, ie 28 January 2016, failed to reveal any business for them on that day. Bill stayed overnight in Sydney and flew back on 29 January. He also claimed Comm car usage and a traveling allowance (accommodation). https://www.finance.gov.au/sites/default/files/P38_SHORTEN_Bill.pdf
Robb also stayed overnight and claimed the travelling allowance, plus return airfares. He flew to Sydney from Melbourne via Canberra on 28 January 2016 and returned direct to Melbourne on 29 January. Robb also claimed Comm car usage. https://www.finance.gov.au/sites/default/files/P38_ROBB_Andrew.pdf I'd love an explanation as to what they did in Sydney on 28/29 January dates, more so on 28 January. Politicians can't be trusted when it comes to taxpayers' money.
Christian Porter getting frustrated with the reporter's line of questioning when she asks about Andrew Robb's attendance at the same wedding of Huang Xiangmo's daughter as Bill Shorten. #auspol #qldpol pic.twitter.com/UanZ6m4WNz
— David Marler (@Qldaah) April 10, 2019