Australian Senate bans foreign interns, according to media reports

Canberra has moved to prevent Chinese meddling, according to media reports. Photo / Supplied

Australia's Senate has moved to ban foreigners from working as interns for members of Parliament there, a reform apparently aimed at blocking Chinese prying into Australian affairs, according to media reports.

The three-month intern programme had been open to all nationalities, as long as the applicant did not have a criminal record.

"Internships at Parliament House are restricted to Australian citizens," a spokesman for Senator Scott Ryan, president of the Senate, which oversaw the change, told Reuters.

The spokesman declined to comment on what prompted the alteration or if it was made to block Chinese interference.

The Herald revealed last year that New Zealand National MP Jian Yang worked as an intern for two months for the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade less than a year after leaving China in 1994.

That report prompted a review of the intern system in Australia, which concluded standards should be bought in line with the rest of the Federal Government.

Chinese students had often applied to the programme and many worked as interns over the years.

Yang did not disclose his links to military intelligence when applying for New Zealand residency in 1998.

National leader Simon Bridges told Radio NZ today that the situation with Yang had been resolved to his satisfaction.

"He has asked and answered quite decisively the questions around all of this and so that is where it lies.

"He's a highly valued member of Parliament.

"As I say, it's all very well to have the variety of allegations that have been put. He has asked and answered them decisively."

Yang moved to New Zealand in 1999, becoming a lecturer in political science at the University of Auckland, then entering Parliament on the National Party's list in 2014. He re-entered Parliament at the recent general election after being placed 33rd on the party's list.

Documents released to the Herald showed Yang referred to his work and study history in China - 15 years in total from 1978 - as solely with "Luoyang University".

It was subsequently revealed Yang graduated with an undergraduate degree from military-linked institutions the People's Liberation Army Air Force Engineering Academy, and later lectured at the elite spy school the Luoyang Foreign Languages Institute.

Yang said last year that Luoyang University was the partnership university of the Foreign Languages Institute.

Immigration New Zealand has said there was no information that would warrant an investigation.

Late last year, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull accused China of meddling in domestic affairs. China denied the accusation which led to a strain in ties between the important trading partners.

Last month, Australia passed legislation designed to prevent interference by foreign governments, a reform Turnbull said was needed to combat Chinese meddling.

Under the law, lobbyists for foreign countries will be required to register and they will be liable to criminal prosecution if they are deemed to be interfering in domestic affairs.

- With Reuters