Fairfax Media published a story late on Friday night (1/2/19) outing Tony Abbott for attending a Chinese New Year function hosted by the Chinese Communist Party’s top Australian lobbyists and propagandist.
The “hosts” included “several facing pressure to declare their Beijing connections on the nation’s new foreign influence register.“
“Mr Abbott, fundraiser John Caputo and state MPs John Sidoti and Mark Coure, were all VIP guests at a Chinese New Year function attended by Beijing’s highest ranking United Front affiliates in Australia.“
“The United Front Work Department is a unique agency overseen by the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee and which leads the party’s United Front operations aimed at influencing overseas Chinese and Western elites, including politicians, to back Beijing’s aims.“ (Click here to read more)
Tony Abbott has come out swinging today (2/2/19) and said he gave a speech at the function also criticising the Chinese government.
“Mr Abbott. who spoke at the function, initially gave praise to the Chinese government over the country’s rise.”
“The rise of China has been one of the phenomenon of the modern world,” he said, in audio obtained by Sky News. “It is immensely to the credit of the Chinese people and the Chinese government that over the past 40 years, a half a billion people have been raised from the third world to the middle class, and I have nothing but admiration for the Chinese people and government presiding over this change.”
“But in the same recording, Mr Abbott goes on to criticise President Xi Jinping over his militarisation of the South China Sea and removal of term limits last year.” (Click here to read more)
Tony Abbott used Twitter as per below to blame Fairfax Media and said “Trust the SMH not to report what I actually said at the Chinese New Year event. The last thing I am is patsy for the Chinese govt, as my remarks show:“
The problem for “Shanghai Tony” is that he also told Fairfax Media “If I knew [United Front groups were there], I wouldn’t have gone. The last thing I am is a patsy for the Chinese government.” So Shanghai Tony has admitted he should not have been at the function. It is was hardly Fairfax’s fault he was there and given the recent history of political bribery allegations against Chinese nationals there is no justification for Tony Abbott being there.
The $100,000 Tony Abbott bribe
In June 2013 Tony Abbott, Stuart Robert and Ian Macfarlane were given $250,000 worth of watches by Chinese billionaire Li Ruipeng. But it wasn’t reported by the media until 2016.
“Macfarlane, assuming his Rolex was a fake worth between $300 and $500, declared the gift with the clerk of the House of Representatives but kept it (“and wore it occasionally,” says the Herald Sun).“
Ian Macfarlane eventually had his watch valued at $40,000 and it was said his watch was not as valuable as the watches given to Tony Abbott and his wife Margie. So an estimated guess is that the 2 watches that Tony Abbott received were worth at least $100,000 in total. Abbott said he thought the watches were fake and declared them but eventually gave them back. (Click here to read more)
If Shanghai Tony really thought the watches were fake then why did he originally keep them? It’s just not believable. And declaring them at $500 each when they are really worth $50,000 each or more is clearly taking a bribe. As we know business people do not give gifts like that unless they want something in return and Tony Abbott knows that. Looks like Shanghai Tony was being set up with a bribe to be a “a patsy for the Chinese government” and was happy to do so.
With all the recent allegations of the Liberal Party and the Labor Party taking bribes off the Chinese then Tony Abbott would have been fully aware of who he was going to the function with.
Tony Abbott’s money man John Caputo
Also at the Chinese New Year function was John Caputo which is a huge problem for Tony Abbott and shows Abbott is lying. Why?
In June 2017 it was reported in an article titled “Tony Abbott’s money man John Caputo hit by China donations scandal“
A key political fundraiser for former prime minister Tony Abbott has maintained contact with Chinese Communist Party-aligned businessman Huang Xiangmo, despite warnings from ASIO to Mr Abbott about the billionaire donor.
Mr Huang has sought to get Abbott confidant and Liberal party heavyweight, John Caputo, to intervene in his citizenship application, according to a well-placed source.
Mr Huang, whose citizenship application has stalled while it is investigated by intelligence agency ASIO, developed a relationship with Mr Caputo after Mr Huang became one of the Liberal Party’s biggest NSW donors in the lead up to the 2013 election.
Mr Huang and his close associates have given at least $1.1 million to the Liberals in recent years.
In 2015, Mr Abbott was briefed by ASIO chief Duncan Lewis about the agency’s concerns that Mr Huang’s close ties with the Chinese Communist Party might mean his donations could be used to advance Beijing’s interests.
Fairfax Media has confirmed that in the months after this briefing, Mr Caputo, a president of the Liberal Party’s Brookvale and Allambie branch, a former vice president of Mr Abbott’s Warringah federal Electorate Conference and head of fundraising in Warringah for the 2016 election campaign, had discussions with Mr Huang about the Chinese born businessman’s concerns his citizenship application had stalled. (Click here to read more)
So from 2013 to 2015, or longer, Tony Abbott and John Caputo:
1. Had close dealings with Chinese Communist Party-aligned businessman Huang Xiangmo.
2. Received $1.1 million in donations for the Liberal Party from “Mr Huang and his close associates”,
3. Mr Abbott was warned by ASIO in 2015 there was a problem
4. But by 2019 Shanghai Tony and John Caputo had forgotten all about it and rocked up to the Chinese New Year function with the same people there not knowing about a number of the hosts being lobbyists and propagandists for the Chinese Communist Party.
John Caputo is a busy man. When not helping Tony Abbott he also has had time to be grilled at ICAC over fraudulent slush funds
A Liberal Party official linked to Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Premier Mike Baird has come under fire at a corruption inquiry over thousands of dollars in cheques he gave to former state energy minister Chris Hartcher.
John Caputo, a fund-raiser for Mr Abbott and Mr Baird and a former mayor of Warringah, admitted at the Independent Commission Against Corruption on Thursday that it was a “diversion” from normal practice to give donations made out to the NSW Liberal Party directly to Mr Hartcher.
The commission heard allegations on Wednesday that an “avidly anti-socialist” accountant called Timothy Trumbull, an associate of Mr Caputo, subverted the $5000 cap on personal political donations by using his employees as “fronts”. (Click here to read more)
ICAC raised allegations against John Caputo of money laundering and dodgy slush funds. The exact skill set that would be needed if for example Tony Abbott wanted to hide illegal donations from someone like the Chinese Communist Party. The same sort of people Shanghai Tony met at the Chinese New Year function.
Tony Abbott lying about another meeting
As we all know Tony Abbott’s memory about who he met and why at election time is not great. In the below video just before the 2004 election Tony had a hard time remembering that he had met George Pell only a few days before. I wrote in 2015
“Tony Abbott and George Pell have a history of working together in politics. Before the 2004 election Tony Abbott gave an infamous interview on the ABC’s Lateline where he was caught lying and deceiving in relation to a meeting with George Pell. A couple of days after the meeting George Pell was a signatory to a letter criticising the Labor Party.” (Click here to read more)
.
When you look at who attended the Chinese New Year function and why it makes Tony Abbott’s claim totally unbelievable that he did not know that it was “hosted by the Chinese Communist Party’s top Australian lobbyists and propagandist”.
It is only after being caught out by the media that Shanghai Tony started ducking and weaving and making up excuses. It seems both Tony Abbott and his right-hand man John Caputo are both patsies for the Chinese government and have been for a long time.
It is interesting that Tony Abbott’s supporters are claiming on social media that most, if not all, of the people running against him at the next federal election are puppets for the activist organisation GetUp! who they claim are foreign funded. Even taken at its highest, at best it is the pot calling the kettle black. And I doubt any of Abbott’s competitors are as connected to any foreign government funding, if at all, to the same degree that Shanghai Tony is connected to the Chinese government’s money.
Shanghai Tony still has a lot of questions he needs to answer regarding the Chinese New Year function and why he and John Caputo were there.
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Categories: Tony Abbott
I like Abbott and hate what was done to him..and to be honest I doubt I’d believe any watch was worth $50,000! so I can’t really blame him for that. I also understand that there are some functions with foreign dignities our politicians really are forced to keep in the name of world harmony ..like it or not. We have however, sold half our country to the Chinese which infuriates me no end. If we hadn’t then having dinner with them wouldn’t even rate a mention I don’t suppose.
Liking Abbott must be painful? What ever was “done to him” he brought upon himself, not that he suffered one iota, he might have “helped” a certain 23% of our population but the vast majority were ready to reject him! Abbott’s expression regarding a convicted “unmentionable” (except in the Washington Post) friend of his “A VERY FINE MAN INDEED” shows a sad, sick loyalty that any thinking person would find revolting! As for the ROLEX watch, there is a certain “snob” value owning one, or two, and the price is dramatically inflated as a result, I think there are people that want them because of the high price. They are an excellent time piece but I can’t see more than $500 in their construction, (sans jewels) Given Abbott’s position he should not have accepted any such “gift”!
Notwithstanding that you had a red hot go at exposing Bill Shorten’s alledged dealings way back with a young woman and you generally show ‘without fear or favour’, I believe based on his well and truly established record as Prime Minister and at all times in and out of government, Tony Abbott’s credentials, especially in relations to his commitment to our country and its security ARE BEYOND REPROACH and certainly above most if not all of the members of Parialment.
If you want to hunt tenuous connections have a proper look at Sam and Bill and others of that cohort.
I have admired your work, but you have lost me on this effort which does you no credit.
Go and follow through on Get Up and the stinking Greens where there is plenty of fodder for you.
Especially at this time our country needs all the Tony Abbotts we can get.
Hear hear. Great post.
I notice you have not questioned any of the facts in the article and just attacked me and raised other issues not relevant to the article.
Shane, if I was going to “attack” you, my comments would be a lot more strident and pointed.
Basically I am just putting what seems a well supported view, that you got this one wrong.
Some ‘facts’ are easily extrapolated to create a picture that is not sustained, especially when looking at a lifetime performance, within and for the country he proudly came to call his own.
Moderator: I have deleted teh rest as Alan does the same thing and uses the look over their debating tactic. No more comments on this article from you Alan as you are just trolling now ans wasting time.
Good response. We should also state that Tony Abbott is 100% loyal to his party and the boss. In business as in politics, you have to do many things with which you do not agree. You do it because you made your position known but you have to follow the policies of the boss and the company/party. Because Tony is so good at whatever he does, he does it well and faithfully without defending himself because of his loyalty to the people under whom he is working. Those of us who have had to do these things know how hard it is. We also know how hard it is to suffer under the criticism of those who do not understand how this system works. Or choose to ignore it because of self-righteousness. Nobody is perfect but Tony Abbott is the least unperfect person in the current Liberal parliamentary party.
Crickey, Alan Howard, give us a break. The rest of the world had a laugh when our then PM announced he was going to shirt-front Putin. What a great rap he gave Australia!
As for him praising Pell, that puts his entire reputation in dire peril, in my book.
So now we are following the USA media by ascribing evil intent in any meeting or by not behaving like a pig you are somehow “bought “ by some nation – There was a time when interactions between nations was called diplomacy. This kind of smear tactic is not just sick it is destructive.
Alan Howard, George Pell needs all the Tony abbots he can get. The rest of us wouldn’t piss on either of them if hey were on fire.
It’s okay to have a go at Abbott, with facts, but, unusually for KC, they seem to be missing from the above? I sincerely trust you will print a retraction if necessary?
Another misguided attack on China – Australian Businesses don’t use the Gift System to gain business , One example was when our Mint was caught giving Gifts to politicians in other countries to get the contracts to print their paper currency in Australia. China has not had its Air Force in the Middle East bombing Women, Children & men like Australia has, China did not Join USA attacking other countries such as Iraq. using Phony Weapons of Mass Destruction excuse, You go on about a Communist Government you know nothing about the great changes in it at the Same time our major parties have become Fascist parties so we have Facist Fascist Government and one of the largest growth areas in Australia has been the number of homeless people in Australia while in China the Government has been building decent t homes for its people . Chinas infrastructure program is the only thing that has kept our economy from completely crashing for more than the last 15 years, Members of the Chinese Government are selected on their qualifications and expertise so they have a well-balanced government to take the country forward – we have major parties full of Arseholes taking the country backward
On the same note we have a ‘local bloke’ Stuart Robert in an illegal manner and full of denial he accepted an expensive watch from a political Chinese individual.
All in all, how about our comments be pushed forward to every one of our political servants for their great uncaring of pensioners trying to survive on a paltry few dollars every fortnight,, out of which a percentage still has to be paid for medicine.
Add the uncaring of homeless people, the high cost of renting from a meagre pension created by super-greedy owners of properties,the exorbitantly high taxes on everything we purchase,a rip-off GST system,and more.
Producing a story on Tony Abbott, digging up the actions of judges, lawyers,paedophile priests etc; does not affect, in reality the day to day lives of Mr & Mrs Average working hard to pay a mortgage, raise a family, pay exorbitant electricity, water, LP gas accounts, almost un-affordable medical visits and medicine.
We are caring for an 88 year-old parent who could never afford, neither can we help her to move into a high-cost retirement village.
How about news of Tony Abbott selling the watch and giving the money to a few people ‘in need’, and force the rest of the over-paid incompetent politicians to do the same.
Which is the current ‘Lucky Country’ in 2019, certainly not Australia where a ‘fair go’ has disappeared, so who is affected by Tony’s new watch … not the majority of Mr & Mrs Nameless Aussies.
well said
Jonde, I hear your cries. Trouble is, I’ve lived long enough to remember when new houses were much more compact. I live in one such property as above. And it’s now payed for, so I can survive on the pension with my wife.
Our rooms are much smaller than today’s Macmansions, without cathedral ceilings that cost a fortune to cool and heat. None of this having to have two living areas, one for the adults and one for their kids, plus all facilities – wall to wall floor coverings, brand new everything, all on the never-never – which my daughter and hubby recommitting to buy.
A commitment so high, that if anything goes wrong, it turns into a mortgagee’s auction. Mind you, the banks don’t care, they win either way.
The Chinese have a large Sydney population, and Abbott was invited to make a speech at a New year Function which is not unusual as he is well known and popular Australian politician. I doubt he would have access to to the guest list to have a background check made on the attendees. His address to the guests appears factual and well balanced. Most readers would be aware the SMH is a low circulation left-wing rag that has little time for conservative politics and, apparently, neither does the author if this article. The SMH reporters would be better engaged in identifying the people and politicians behind the illegal real estate sales across Sydney, the sales of our strategically located ports, pilot training facilities and farms to the Chinese. I note there is no criticism of Shangai Sam, Bob Carr and other Labor supporters of the Chinese regime.
I was a constant critic of Tony Abbott when he was PM because of his political decisions, not because of his personality or religion. I believe this article and the SMH story have been written to inflict maximum damage to Abbott’s re-election prospects in the upcoming elections.
Well, Mr Ellem, if personal beliefs are to be the norm here, did you know that tony abbot was encouraged to leave the seminary because he could be of more use to the “church” as one of their political hacks?
Thank You! What’s new? The politician in question failed miserably to do “that”….. Why? Because he is on record via Father Kevin LEE (Parramatta diocese -NSW Sydney) who interviewed the said politician, as having said: (in 2013 before the Fed. Elections) “If we win the elections….a Royal Commission investigating Institutional Child Sexual Abuse will never happen…” Read Frances Jones Blog to verify the above. And look up Concerned Catholics Canberra Goulburn org
I am disappointed in this article…
Comment: Abbot trained as a Jesuit and lawyer. He is in the Catholic camp and a defender of Pell who offered support to Abbot before the 2004 election. Lawyers ought to be proscribed from sitting in parliament on the grounds of conflict of interest. One cannot be expected to write and proposed laws that rely on fellow lawyers to apply without bias. Australian Human Rights have been corrupted by the combined efforts of Lawyers and MPs at an accelerating rate since Federation. Lawyers and MPs have also worked assiduously to corrupt our Constitution to the point that the intention and language are remote from the ken of those it seeks to regulate.
I wonder what strings Abbot has been pulling throughout the inquiries into Pell’s past? It is time the Liberal camp woke up and cleaned out the stables.