ICAC hears Huang was conduit for China's Communist Party

Disgraced Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo sought to broker an agreement between the Victorian Labor Government and the Communist Party in Beijing, at a time when he was among the ALP’s biggest political donors.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption heard on Monday that Mr Huang had facilitated a visit to Melbourne by a high-level delegation from China's Jiangxi province.

During the 2015 visit, Mr Huang asked Premier Daniel Andrews to sign a “strategic partnership” with the province.

When this was rejected, a lesser “co-operation agreement” was sought “to show a friendly gesture with Jiangxi [province]”.

Mr Huang also asked for Victoria to hold a “state dinner” for the Jiangxi Party secretary Qiang Wei during the visit, and even offered to pay for the occasion.

“If the budget is an issue we can assist,” the Victorians were told.

Mr Huang’s role as a conduit for a senior Communist Party official was revealed in a series of text messages between his former executive assistant, Tim Xu, and Jamie Clements, the former head of the NSW ALP.

Mr Xu was giving evidence to the ICAC on Monday, while Mr Clements is at the centre of the inquiry after allegedly receiving a $100,000 illegal donation from Mr Huang during his time running the NSW ALP.

As a property developer, Mr Huang was not permitted to make political donations in NSW.

Mr Clements denies receiving the money after a Chinese Friends of Labor dinner in March 2015.

Mr Clements acted as a liaison between Mr Huang and the Jiangxi delegation and it was through him that requests for the “strategic partnership” and “co-operation agreement” were conveyed to the Victorians.

Mr Huang’s role in helping to facilitate the visit by the provincial delegation will add further weight to claims he was closely aligned with Beijing and helped the Communist Party with its strategic goals in Australia.

Mr Huang's Australian permanent residency was cancelled by ASIO last year.

Meeting, but no deal

An agreement between Jiangxi and Victoria was never signed, but the delegation did meet with Mr Andrews while also visiting the Victorian Parliament.

Mr Xu told the ICAC that it was “a big ask” to seek such an agreement.

He agreed with an assessment by counsel assisting the inquiry, Scott Robertson, that Mr Huang viewed politics as “transactional”.

Mr Xu said he was uncomfortable with this approach and this had prompted him to leave Mr Huang’s employment after 3½ years.

The inquiry also heard that while Mr Clements was running the NSW ALP, he shared a ride to Melbourne on Crown casino’s private jet with Mr Huang.

Mr Huang was a high roller at the Melbourne casino and is estimated to have gambled $800 million a year.

Mr Clements said outside the ICAC hearing he was going to Melbourne for meetings and was offered a ride on the Crown jet by Mr Huang.

He said the trip was part of his efforts at “relationship building” with the property developer.

Mr Clements said he took another trip on the Crown jet just weeks after being forced to resign as ALP general secretary in January 2016. On that occasion, he was accompanying Mr Huang to the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne.

The ICAC inquiry into illegal political donations to the NSW ALP resumed on Monday and is due to wrap up at the end of the week.

Mr Huang now lives in Hong Kong and has refused to appear before ICAC. He denies making the $100,000 donation.