Chinese billionaire Huang Xiangmo paid $55,000 to have lunch with Bill Shorten in October 2015, documents uncovered by the ABC reveal.

Key points: Huang Xiangmo attended a function with Bill Shorten in Sydney on October 5

Huang Xiangmo attended a function with Bill Shorten in Sydney on October 5 The donation was disclosed with the Australian Electoral Commission

The donation was disclosed with the Australian Electoral Commission Sydney council forced Yuhu Group to list the benefactor as part of a property development application

The revelation came as Labor senator Sam Dastyari resigned from Federal Parliament due to his links to Mr Huang, who intelligence agencies warn is closely linked to the Chinese Government.

Mr Huang attended the function organised by a Labor fundraising arm with Mr Shorten in Sydney on October 5, in the midst of a heated political debate about Labor's opposition to the China-Australia trade deal.

The donation was disclosed with the Australian Electoral Commission but the specific details were not known until a local Sydney council forced Mr Huang's company, Yuhu Group, to list the benefactor as part of a property development application.

The Yuhu Group disclosure statement lodged with the City of Ryde states the donation was for a "boardroom lunch with Hon. Bill Shorten, ALP National".

The donation was made through a linked company, Mandarin International Investments Pty Ltd, which is registered with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) at the same north Sydney location as Mr Huang's Yuhu Group.

The meeting occurred during the same year the Australia Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) director Duncan Lewis warned major political parties about Mr Huang's links to the Chinese Government.

It is not clear whether the meeting occurred before or after the warning.

Mr Huang's application for Australian citizenship has been stalled by the intelligence agency.

A spokesman for Mr Shorten said he had "always acted in accordance with the advice of security agencies".

Australians 'want more from their political representatives'

When asked about the donation, Mr Shorten said Labor stopped accepting foreign political donations last year and called for more transparency.

"You would have to ask the party about the donations they raise. I'm sure that all of it was disclosed by the fact you can ask the question on it," Mr Shorten said.

"But I do actually think, having been in this job for a few years, that we do need to tighten up our foreign donation laws.

"I get that in 2017, Australian people want more from their political representatives than they feel they're getting."

Mr Shorten acknowledged the role of the media in "helping talk about these issues", and said Labor wants to lower the financial threshold that requires donations to be disclosed.

The Federal Government has announced new laws to ban foreign political donations and to establish a foreign lobbyist registry.

At the time of the meeting, Mr Shorten faced a coordinated union campaign against the trade deal and vocal opposition from backbenchers worried about Australian jobs.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions held town hall meetings to condemn the deal and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) warned it would allow Chinese companies to ship in overseas workers and steal local jobs.

The ABC understands the trade deal was discussed at the lunch.

Sorry, this video has expired Peter Dutton says Labor senator Sam Dastyari must resign.

Huang's long history of donations

One day after the October 20 donation, Mr Shorten announced Labor would support the "speedy passage" of the trade deal after securing "satisfactory legal protections that were not previously disclosed".

Mr Shorten had previously said Labor wasn't "unconditionally opposed" to the free trade agreement, but instead that there needed to be more protections for Australian jobs.

"Just because there is a deal, doesn’t mean it is a good deal," Mr Shorten said in late August.

A Labor spokesman said their decision was determined by the national interest, Australian jobs and the Labor caucus.

"Labor campaigned for a stronger China Free Trade Agreement that protected local jobs, and we eventually pressured the Government to cave into our position," he said.

Senator Dastyari faced renewed pressure to quit Parliament after reports he warned Mr Huang his phone was probably being tapped by US agencies in a secret face-to-face meeting last October.

The property developer's company paid Senator Dastyari's personal legal bills and was pictured beside him at a press conference held for Chinese media, where he contradicted his party's position on the South China Sea.

Mr Huang has a long history of donations to both major parties and his relationship with politicians has featured prominently during debate on the Federal Government bid to ban foreign donations and create a foreign lobbyist register.

Labor stopped accepting donations from foreign entities including Mr Huang earlier this year and has called on the Coalition to do the same.

A spokesperson for Yuhu Group said any donations were declared as required.