Daniel Andrews has hit back at critics of his decision to attend China’s military parade alongside Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying it was a chance for him to “meet and engage with regional leaders”.
The former Victorian premier, known for his interest in bolstering his state’s ties with China while he was in the job, was pictured at the ceremony on Wednesday and was quickly criticised for posing with the so-called “axis of upheaval”.
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and Myanmar’s junta leader, Min Aung Hlaing, also stood nearby in the group photo.
The ceremony took place in Beijing to mark 80 years since Japan’s surrender at the end of the second world war. Live footage of the event also showed Andrews shaking hands with China’s president, Xi Jinping, on the red carpet in Tiananmen Square.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Andrews said he had been invited with foreign dignitaries, including the Malaysian prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, and former New Zealand leaders John Key and Helen Clark.
“I’ve said for years that a constructive relationship with China – our largest trading partner – is in Australia’s national interest and hundreds of thousands of Australian jobs depend on it. That hasn’t changed,” the statement said.
“And just so there’s no confusion – I have condemned Putin and his illegal war in Ukraine from day one. That’s why he banned me from Russia last year.
“Further, my support for Israel and Australia’s Jewish community has been outspoken and unwavering, and I unequivocally condemn Iran for its attacks on Australia, Israel and elsewhere around the world.”
Australia’s ambassador to China, Scott Dewar, did not attend the event, with a junior attache instead sent in his place. The former New South Wales premier and federal senator Bob Carr, who also travelled to China for the event, chose to skip the military parade. He told ABC’s 7.30 he would have “avoided” being in a group shot if he were in Andrews’ position.
It’s understood the foreign affairs department was not aware of Andrews’ and Carr’s attendance until media reports in the days leading up to the events.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said it would have been inappropriate for any government representatives to attend, noting Andrews was there in his private capacity.
“None of my people would have sat in that position, as simple as that,” he told question time on Thursday. “What individuals do, very separate from the government, is a matter for them.”
Greens senator David Shoebridge questioned the former premier’s decision to put himself in that position.
“You would hope that you use your position as a former leader … to push the world closer to peace, not join a military parade with a bunch of dictators,” he said.
Andrews’ successor, Jacinta Allan, is due to take her first trip to Beijing as premier in mid-September, joined by five MPs representing electorates with large numbers of Chinese voters.
In a statement after the photograph, she said Andrews’ connection with China was “valuable for our state”.
“It is good for Victoria that Daniel Andrews is held in such high regard by the people of China,” Allan said.
However her deputy premier, Ben Carroll, broke ranks and criticised the photo. “Most Victorians will be asking: is it worth it for self-interested business purposes to be having a photo standing behind Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin?” Carroll told reporters from the Age and Nine on Thursday.
“I think for the vast majority, myself included, the value judgment [is] it’s not worth that photo, and that’ll be the question that Victorians want answers on. It’s not something I would have done.”
Many state and federal Labor MPs were unwilling to go on the record criticising the former premier but several were shocked at Andrews appearing in the group photo in such close proximity to the two dictators.
One state MP described it as an “absolute disgrace” while another said they were “disappointed” in the wake of Iran’s alleged link to the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue and amid plans to host a Ukrainian delegation at the Victorian parliament.
One MP pointed to debate in parliament’s upper house last week, in which MPs defended Andrews against comparisons made to “authoritarian regimes” and Stalin, “only for him to go pose in photos with actual dictators”.
Andrews visited China seven times as premier, most recently in early 2023, as the first Australian leader to travel to the country since the start of the pandemic and the announcement of the Aukus defence pact, visiting Beijing, Jiangsu and Sichuan. No journalists, ministers or stakeholders were invited at the time.
In 2018 Andrews signed Victoria up to China’s Belt and Road initiative, before the agreement was torn up by the Morrison government in 2021.
Since quitting politics in 2023, Andrews has registered two companies, Glencairn Street and Wedgetail Partners, the latter of which he runs with his former senior advisor adviser, Zheng “Marty” Mei.
Wedgetail Partners trades as Forty Eight & Partners, which has been linked with Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest as the latter looks to import “green” iron into China.
Both Andrews and Forrest attended the Boao Forum, China’s answer to the World Economic Forum, in 2023 and 2024. Andrews is listed as both a founder and director of Forty Eight & Partners.
Labor sources said Andrews works mainly as a consultant with strong links to Chinese companies. They said it was not surprising given China was a focus of Andrews during his premiership.
One Labor MP, who requested anonymity to speak freely, said it “made sense” for Andrews to attend the event given his business interests, but questioned his decision to pose in the group photo.
They described the footage of Andrews shaking hands with Xi Jinping as “priceless”.
“Whether we like it or not, he’ll definitely be printing that one out and sharing it widely,” they said.
