Liberal MP Andrew Hastie says Australians “need to know” if there are members of the Communist Party of China in institutions even if they do not pose individual “risk”.
“If there are CCP members involved in institutions or in projects of national significance in Australia, we need to know about it,” he told Sky News Host Sharri Markson.
Mr Hastie went on to say the best defences for democracy are “transparency, scrutiny, and sunlight” and said the Morrison government will continue to stand up against China.
“We should stand up for our values and we should stand up for our interests and we should always do so in a position of strength.”
It comes after Ms Markson said a major leak has exposed the information of nearly 2 million CCP members, demonstrating party branches are embedded in some of the world’s biggest companies and even inside government agencies.