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private medals...

 

private robert

Robert is fighting to save his ministerial career after revelations of a “personal” trip to Beijing in August 2014 to celebrate a deal involving Nimrod Resources, an Australian mining company headed by major Liberal party donor Paul Marks.

The then assistant defence minister said he had “attended in a private capacity” but amedia release issued by China Minmetals Corporation said Robert had extended his congratulations “on behalf of the Australian Department of Defence” and had presented “a medal bestowed to him by Australian prime minister in honour of remembrance and blessing”.

Robert – who disputes the media release – met China’s vice-minister of land and resources, Wang Min, the next day and said the Australian government welcomed mining investment, according to a Chinese government website.

A translation of the Chinese-language website suggests Nimrod Resources representatives also attended the meeting.

The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, began a series of questions to Robert by asking whether it had been accurate for his office to say he had been on approved leave and attended in a private capacity.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/09/stuart-robert-silent-on-visa-application-for-china-trip

 

the communiqué reads like a chinese instruction manual

http://www.minmetals.com/english/News/201505/t20150528_68729.html

clouds in the blue turdball sky...

 

Live: Warren Truss, Andrew Robb to retire, PM under pressure to sack Stuart Robert

Deputy PM Warren Truss is expected to announce his retirement from politics as early as tomorrow, ending months of speculation about his future. Trade Minister Andrew Robb is also on his way out.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-10/federal-politics-live-blog/7154328

 

gonno...

Stuart Robert is resigning from the Turnbull ministry following an internal report into his conduct.

The move will add to the complexity of the Prime Minister's reshuffle, which is expected this weekend.

Labor has been calling for Mr Robert to be sacked over a trip to China in 2014, where he appeared at a signing ceremony for a mining deal between Australian company Nimrod Resources and a Chinese business.

The Opposition argued the trip was inappropriate because Nimrod's executive chairman Paul Marks was a generous Liberal Party donor.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-12/stuart-robert-to-resign-fom-ministry-abc-understands/7163226

 

A lesson in how to make enemies by Malcolm Turnbull... He did not have any choice, did he? 

not an isolated incident...

Labor has written to the Australian federal police asking them to investigate the China trip. The shadow attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, said if the latest reports about Robert were true it showed “that his earlier antics in China were not isolated incidents”.

“There appears to be a pattern of behaviour here in using his public office to benefit both himself and wealthy Liberal donor Paul Marks,” Dreyfus said.

“Mr Robert was clearly unfit to remain in the ministry – despite the protestations of his mate Scott Morrison [the treasurer] – and his behaviour absolutely warrants an investigation by the AFP.”

Marks served on the board of Evolution Mining at the time of the mine opening event but resigned as a non-executive director in November 2013 “to pursue his other business interests”.

Turnbull, when asked about the travel claims in Rockhampton in central Queensland on Tuesday, said the expenses occurred in 2013 when the Coalition was in opposition.

“I don’t know the circumstances of the matter but these things are dealt with by the Department of Finance in the ordinary way,” the prime minister said.

read more: http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/feb/16/stuart-robert-may-be-investigated-over-trip-to-mine-in-which-he-had-financial-interest