Chinese Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing has been accused of using political donations as "bribes" in an effort to influence the decision-making process in Canberra on behalf of China's Communist Party, according to court documents filed on Friday.

In a case likely to shine further light on the nature of Communist Party influence in Australian politics, Dr Chau is also accused of engaging in espionage on behalf of Beijing.

The explosive accusations are contained in defence documents filed on behalf of the ABC, Fairfax Media and journalist Nick McKenzie.

Dr Chau, a property developer and leading figure in the Australian Chinese community, has strong connections to senior figures on both sides of local politics. Sahlan Hayes

Dr Chau, who was born in southern China before moving to Australia in the 1980s, is suing all three parties for defamation in the Federal Court, after he was mentioned in a series of reports on Beijing's growing influence in Australia.

"There are reasonable grounds to believe that the Applicant donated enormous sums of money to Australian political parties as bribes intended to influence politicians to make decisions to advance the interests of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party," the documents state.