Fitzgibbon regrets China trips 'untidiness'

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Fitzgibbon regrets China trips 'untidiness'
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/03/27/2527742.htm

By online parliamentary correspondent Emma Rodgers
Posted Fri Mar 27, 2009 10:49am AEDT Updated Fri Mar 27, 2009 1:27pm AEDT


'Untidy': Mr Fitzgibbon has admitted he failed to declare gifts. AAP: Alan Porritt

Embattled Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon has apologised for failing to disclose details of free business trips he took to China and says he deeply regrets his actions.

But the Minister is not making any moves to step aside and says he will continue to press ahead in the portfolio to implement major reforms to Defence.

Mr Fitzgibbon has been forced to make the embarrassing apology after he admitted he had accepted the free trips in 2002 and 2005 from wealthy Chinese businesswoman Helen Liu. Earlier yesterday he denied ever having received major gifts from Ms Liu.

Their relationship has come under the spotlight after explosive allegations were published in Fairfax Newspapers yesterday that officers in the Department had covertly spied on the Minister over concerns his connection with Ms Liu posed a security problem.

The allegations are now the subject of an urgent internal investigation.

Mr Fitzgibbon says what he did was wrong but could not explain how it happened.

"It's just difficult for me to say basically. It was a long time ago. They weren't weighing on my mind. I was working on the assumption that the sponsored travel had been declared ... I was wrong," he said.

"That was very untidy of me, it's without justification and I apologise for it."

Mr Fitzgibbon hinted yesterday that he was being targeted because there was opposition to his attempts at major reform of Defence, with a white paper due out later this year.

Today he reiterated he would push ahead with his reforms.

"If we're going to ensure that Defence has all the capability to do the things we require it to do we're going to have to ensure that Defence is far more effective and efficient internally and that's what my strategic reform program is all about," he said.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has backed Mr Fitzgibbon to stay on, but not before taking him to task over his failure to disclose the trips.

Mr Fitzgibbon says he has not spoken to Mr Rudd directly over the matter but understands he is disappointed and appreciates his support.

Asked by reporters whether he expected to keep his job Mr Fitzgibbon replied: "I believe I will be judged in terms of my performance in the portfolio by how well I proceed with and secure the very large strategic reform program I am pursuing."

It has also been reported today that Ms Liu, who has been a familiy friend of the Fitzgibbons for more than 15 years, has connections with high-ranking Chinese officials.

The Opposition has repeatedly called for Mr Fitzgibbon to be sacked and Defence spokesman Senator David Johnston has raised questions over the possible implications of the friendship between the two.

"The focus of the [Defence] white paper is all about this emerging industrial giant to our north that is China and what is going to happen, five, 10 and 15 years out as they acquire exotic technologies used for Defence purposes," he told ABC 2 News Breakfast.

"The white paper is going to be dominated by the Chinese and the person that the Minister has been dealing with has got very, very strong connections with very senior Chinese leadership. This is of concern."

However Defence analyst Alan Behm has described the Opposition's attack on Mr Fitzgibbon as "curious".

"[The issue] is not whether or not the Minister for Defence is being groomed as a spy for China - I think that that is on the edge of ludicrous," he told ABC 2 News Breakfast.

"I think the much more fundamental issue here is whether or not a minister's future should be determined by an unhappy Department."

But Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull is not stepping away from his criticism of the Minister, saying it is clear he has misled parliament and Mr Rudd needs to act.

"It's not just a question of failing to disclose [the free trips], it is the fact that yesterday morning he seemed to have no recollection of them and within a few hours suddenly they appear," he said.

"This is now a issue for Kevin Rudd. It's a question of his leadership, his responsibility, whether he wants to leave someone who is demonstrably incompetent in that most important position."

Attorney-General Robert McClelland has confirmed in a statement that ASIO's acting director general of security says that ASIO has no information about Ms Liu that would gives rise to any security concerns.

Valery

认领，刚才翻译的也是有关这位部长的！

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Valery

译文在此
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