The leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten says he spoke to Senator Sam Dastyari last night, telling him to resign from his senior Labor positions in the Senate.
In a statement Mr Shorten says it is not a decision he took lightly, adding that Senator Dastyari mischaracterisation of how he came to make comments contradicting Labor policy made his position untenable.
Leaked audio shows Labor senator Sam Dastyari giving a detailed defence of China's policy in the South China Sea last year, in defiance of official Australian Labor Party policy.
The remarks were delivered during the federal election campaign, and contradict those made by fellow Labor senator and Defence spokesman Stephen Conroy just one day earlier.
Federal Attorney Attorney-General George Brandis spoke about the issue to the A-B-C.
