Assets get protections from foreign buyers

Legislation has cleared the Senate to protect Australia's water, energy, port and telecommunications assets from foreign influence.

Australia's water, port, electricity and telecommunications assets will have stronger protections from "malicious" foreign influence including sabotage and spying.

Legislation cleared parliament on Wednesday which will establish a register of assets and give the minister increased powers to step in when national security risks are identified.

The laws come amid debate within the coalition over whether AGL's Liddell power station in NSW should be sold to Chinese interests.

Assistant Home Affairs Minister Alex Hawke said there were benefits to foreign involvement, but caution was needed.

"Increasing foreign involvement in our national critical infrastructure means that Australia's critical infrastructure is more exposed than ever to sabotage, espionage and coercion," he said.

He said the laws would ensure access to critical services like food, water, energy and communications.

The bill passed the Senate unopposed after winning support from Labor, the Greens and the cross bench and later easily cleared the lower house.

The Greens and One Nation found some rare common ground on the issue, with both parties calling for assets to be returned to government hands.

"You've given so much control to other countries it's an absolute disgrace," Pauline Hanson told the government in the Senate.

Greens senator Nick McKim called for five privately-owned electricity interconnectors to be nationalised.

"Neoliberalism and laissez-faire capitalism have abjectly failed the people they purported to service," Senator McKim said.

He argued security risks to assets should also include climate change, which he says poses a major threat to Australia's infrastructure and national security.

Senator Hanson pointed to the 99-year lease of the Darwin port to a Chinese company and the sale of Cubbie Station in Queensland to a Chinese-led consortium as examples of critical assets under control of foreign powers.


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Source: AAP


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