1. Sam Dastyari was born on 28 July 1983 and is an Australian former politician, who from 2013 to 2018 represented New South Wales in the Australian Senate as a member of the Australian Labor Party.
34 Facts About Sam Dastyari
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Sam Dastyari was the first person of Iranian origin and Azerbaijani descent to sit in the Australian Parliament.
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Sam Dastyari's parents were student activists in the 1979 Iranian revolution.
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Sam Dastyari attended John Purchase Public School in Cherrybrook, joined the Australian Labor Party at age sixteen and was vice-captain at Baulkham Hills High School.
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Sam Dastyari went on to become President of Australian Young Labor and later studied part-time at Macquarie University, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in politics.
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In March 2010, Sam Dastyari was elected as General Secretary of NSW Labor with the support of the Transport Workers' Union, the Electrical Trades Union, and the Australian Workers Union.
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Sam Dastyari previously applied to renounce Iranian citizenship in order to take the "reasonable steps" required to comply with section 44 of the Constitution of Australia.
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Sam Dastyari did not complete the compulsory military service required to renounce citizenship under Iranian law, but stated that the Iranian government's issuance of a tourist visa to him acknowledged that he was no longer an Iranian citizen.
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In October 2015, the retirements of Bernie Ripoll and Jan McLucas from the shadow ministry caused a reshuffle, and Sam Dastyari became Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the Senate, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, and Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Youth.
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Sam Dastyari resigned from the positions following a scandal over payments and gifts from Chinese companies.
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Sam Dastyari was later appointed Deputy Opposition Whip in the Senate.
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Sam Dastyari formally submitted his resignation from the Senate on 25 January 2018.
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In November 2014, Sam Dastyari declared that a Chinese company with links to the Chinese government had provided him with $44,000 to settle his legal bills.
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In October 2015, Sam Dastyari asked a Chinese private education provider with links to the Chinese government to pay a travel bill of $1,670.
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Sam Dastyari spoke at Chinese-language press conferences and was at odds with the Australian government's policy on the South China Sea.
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The uproar over Sam Dastyari's actions was seen by The Economist as a sign of the changing mood among Australians regarding Chinese investment.
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In 2017, following reports that Sam Dastyari contradicted Labor's policy on the South China Sea territorial dispute and offered counter-surveillance advice to the Chinese donor in question, Huang Xiangmo, he was removed from his roles as Senate Deputy Opposition Whip and Senate Committee chair.
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Media reports stated that Sam Dastyari had told the donor, Huang Xiangmo, that his phones were likely being tapped by intelligence agencies and that they should leave their phones inside and speak outside to avoid being overheard.
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On 12 December 2017, Sam Dastyari announced that he would resign from the Senate prior to the 2018 parliamentary year.
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Sam Dastyari formally submitted his resignation to the President of the Senate on 25 January 2018.
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Post his political career, in 2019 Sam Dastyari appeared before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption public inquiry into allegations concerning political donations, the NSW Branch of the Australian Labor Party, members of Chinese Friends of Labor and others.
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Sam Dastyari testified that in September 2016 he provided advice to Kaila Murnain, at the time an Assistant Secretary of NSW Labor, to seek the advice of Labor's lawyers following disclosure that NSW Labor received potentially unlawful donations in 2015 and potential fundraising misconduct.
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In 2014, Sam Dastyari called for a royal commission into the banking and financial services sector.
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Sam Dastyari continued to push for a more substantial royal commission and vigorously pursued the banks when in office.
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Sam Dastyari worked with Senate crossbenchers in 2017 to establish a powerful Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into Australia's big banks, putting more pressure on the Federal Government to establish a royal commission.
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Sam Dastyari called for the Federal Government to do more to counter corporate tax avoidance.
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Sam Dastyari made a video starring his kids to explain tax avoidance using the currency of lollies.
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In 2012, at a dinner to promote multiculturalism and "bring Muslims and others together to learn and understand each other's culture and religious significance", Sam Dastyari said "Labor core values are similar to Islamic social value such as equal justice and respect for everyone".
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In 2016, Sam Dastyari claimed that ten companies wield the most incredible amount of power in Australia to an extent that stifles proper democratic and economic progress.
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In March 2018, Sam Dastyari passed a two-show trial to join a KIIS 106.5 Sydney breakfast radio show once a fortnight on a segment known as Gutter Politics.
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In November 2018, Sam Dastyari replaced Overnight talk show host Luke Bona on Triple M for two weeks.
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Sam Dastyari participated in the fifth season of reality program I'm a Celebrity.
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Sam Dastyari is a member of the "Halal Snack Pack Appreciation Society" Facebook Group although he has publicly stated that "some halal certifiers are nothing more than scammers".
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Sam Dastyari made news by inviting One Nation's leader Pauline Hanson to join him for a Halal Snack Pack, an invitation she declined.