Attorney-General George Brandis has defended recently declared donations to the NSW Liberal Party from companies linked to the Chinese businessman at the centre of the scandal engulfing Labor's Sam Dastyari.
An amendment to the donations register on September 27 revealed two receipts totalling $44,000 from Yuhu Group and another company listed at the same address.
Yuhu Group founder Huang Xiangmo's dealings with Senator Dastyari cost the NSW Labor powerbroker two leadership roles in the Senate and reignited questions about foreign influence in Australian politics.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale said the $44,000 was declared well after ASIO briefed the major parties on the threat of taking donations from Mr Huang.
"What's the purpose of this payment and given the prime minister's concerns will you now commit to repaying the money?" Senator Di Natale asked Attorney-General George Brandis in question time on Monday.
Senator Brandis said he was confident the Liberal Party had met their legal disclosure obligations.
"All political parties accept donations from businesspeople. My side of politics does, the Labor Party does, the Greens do," he said.
"There is no prohibition on businesspeople donating to political parties just because they are Chinese."
Senator Brandis said Senator Dastyari's issue had nothing to do with disclosure of donations.
He pointed to laws bound for parliament which will target foreign donations to political parties and overseas interests trying to interfere in Australia's democratic institutions.
"The legislation that will be introduced this week will be the most significant reform ever to the laws relating to espionage and foreign interference," Senator Brandis told parliament on Monday.
Espionage and interference offences will be tweaked and a transparency scheme will be established to shine a light on the nature and extent of influence over Australian government and political processes.
"It will introduce new offences targeting foreign interference and economic espionage, including offences that criminalise covert and deceptive activities that support the intelligence activities of foreign actors," Senator Brandis said.
Malcolm Turnbull brushed off a photo of him with Mr Huang in Sydney after Opposition Leader Bill Shorten confirmed politicians from both major parties had attended events with the businessman.
"What a revelation. If you had had a wider-angle lens, you could have got the other 5000 people who were there as well," Mr Turnbull told parliament.
Mr Shorten called on the prime minister to follow the Labor Party by refusing donations from Mr Huang.
