June 7, 2023
It is completely unacceptable that Premier Daniel Andrews’s speech to a China economic forum in central Melbourne is subject to communist-style secrecy.
The Andrews government is not known for its reluctance to spruik itself and its initiatives – with the Premier freely using social mediato craft his profile and his government’s agenda. But while Mr Andrews and his government are expert at spin and PR messaging, the Premier has also earned a reputation for stonewalling, strategic forgetfulness and, now, is party to overt censorship.
Take Mr Andrews’s official trade trip to Beijing in March – an important tour in the post-Covid rebuild era but one in which Australian media was not invited to accompany him on.
Serious issues of re-engagement on foreign student intakes, agricultural and service exports and perhaps even discussions on infrastructure construction and investment terms were on the table.
Then-WA Premier Mark McGowan was happy to have Australian reporters accompany him on his China tour yet the entire Andrews trip was a media free dead zone, with an itinerary released devoid of content. While Victorians might expect such control in China, transparency is demanded in this democratic state.
On Monday night at Melbourne’s Park Hyatt hotel Premier Andrews addressed the Post Pandemic China-Australia Economic Cooperation Forum. But, in a move described as “highly irregular,” those Victorians who were represented by Mr Andrews cannot hear what he had to say. The Herald Sun was denied entry to the forum and told it was open to Chinese media only.
Signs outside the function room warned guests not to take photos or videos inside. Mr Andrews spoke on behalf of Victorians and Victorians have a right to know what was said. Lord Mayor Sally Capp was also in attendance and former Liberal trade minister Andrew Robb delivered a speech.
“It was an important event,” Mr Andrews said on Tuesday, adding he had “no idea” why local media was banned from attending.
“I certainly made the point that the China and Victoria partnership is critically important to jobs, to exports, to international education, to food and wine and every sector really. They are our biggest trading partner. If you’ve got a bad relationship with your biggest customer, your business has go treal problems.” And therein lies the most likely reason why non-Chinese media was banned – recent years of trade punishment by Beijing and a still frosty relationship with Canberra means a closed door event carried greater chance of avoiding controversy.
Especially after Mr Andrews’s office failed to confirm his attendance for a week and concerns were raised by Liberal MP James Paterson about a forum sponsor, China Institute for Innovation and Development Strategy (CIIDS), which he called a “front group” for China’s spy agency, the Ministry of State Security (MSS).
“As a matter of principle, is it appropriate for a MSS front group to be involved in organising a conference in Australia?” he asked. And Victorians will well remember the secrecy around the Andrews government’s deal with Beijing on its controversial Belt and Road Initiative, which Mr Andrews was later forced to abandon because it contradicted Australia’s national security and foreign policy stance.
Unacceptably, all this illustrates a corrosive attitude by the Andrews government towards media scrutiny, transparency and messaging control.
