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Dastyari didn't break rules: Burke

One of Sam Dastyari's senior colleagues says the Labor senator shouldn't have to step down over the Chinese donor controversy.

Labor senator Sam Dastyari has already paid the price of public scrutiny for allowing a Chinese donor with close links to Beijing to pay an outstanding personal debt, one of his senior colleagues says.

Opposition frontbencher Tony Burke doesn't think Senator Dastyari will step down from the shadow frontbench because he didn't break any rules.

"It was technically within the rules (but) didn't change the fact that it was way outside community standards," he told ABC TV on Sunday.

Labor colleague Anthony Albanese wants changes to rules surrounding political donations, particularly those from overseas.

He said there are range of countries involved in political donations, not just China.

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He said there was someone who went to one of the states of the former Soviet republic and came back and asked a question during question time relating to issues in that country with a neighbouring country.

"I'm concerned about these issues," he told Sky News.

He said Labor had a whole range of rejected reforms, including reducing donations that have to be declared to $1000 and making sure donations have to be declared quicker.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



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