No security briefing before Andrews’ Beijing trip where he posed alongside Putin, Kim Jong-un

Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews did not seek diplomatic advice before attending China’s anti-Western show of military might in Beijing, according to official sources, where he posed for a photo metres from dictators Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin.

In a move that stunned many in the federal government, Andrews shook President Xi Jinping’s hand on the red carpet in Tiananmen Square, before posing for a “family photo” near leaders that also included the Iranian president and Myanmar’s junta leader.

Official sources not authorised to speak on the record said Andrews did not ask the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade or anyone else in the government for advice on personal security or how to protect Australia’s national interest when talking to Chinese officials.

Andrews’ attendance at the ceremony, which marked 80 years since Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, was condemned by former Queensland Labor premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as a step too far, and his appearance in the group photo with dictators and leaders of rogue states shocked Albanese government ministers.

Former NSW premier Bob Carr, who also travelled to China for the event, chose to skip the military parade due to what he called its “Soviet-style” aesthetic.

Andrews was contacted for comment but has not made any public remarks since it was revealed last Friday that he would attend the parade, which Chinese propaganda has cast as a victory for China rather than Western allies.

Albanese declined to endorse or condemn Andrews’ presence in Beijing, saying only that the former premier was “not meeting them” when asked if Andrews should be at an event with Putin or Kim, both of whom have been condemned by Australia and on the world stage for their disregard of the international rule of law.

Australia sent the embassy’s defence attache to some of the ceremonies, but Andrews was the only Australian dignitary at the parade.

Labor has sought to strike a balance with China, softening its tone to boost trade at the same time as procuring AUKUS nuclear submarines to deter the Asian superpower that seeks to dominate the Indo-Pacific.

Albanese travelled to China to meet Xi in July and spruiked warmer ties, but the government did not want to be anywhere near the parade where Xi hosted Putin and Kim and a raft of other anti-Western national leaders.

Andrews, a long-time ally of Albanese from the same Left faction, advised the prime minister on debate tactics before the last election, and the pair caught up for lunch at Melbourne’s Gimlet restaurant in June.

Questions about Andrews’ trip to Beijing plagued debate in Canberra on Wednesday. Albanese was twice asked about Andrews’ attendance at the parade during question time on Wednesday.

“The Australian government did have a representative there,” Albanese said. “The Australian government did have a representative 10 years ago [at the 70th anniversary celebrations]. That was a minister in the [Coalition] government. Our government chose that [sending a minister] would not be the case.”

Carr said he would attend separate indoor events following the parade and address two Chinese international relations think tanks instead of going to the parade.

“I told the Chinese I wouldn’t be attending the parade but that I’d like to accelerate arrangements to talk to think tanks,” Carr said from Beijing. “I had to make a decision on whether I was attracted to a traditional Soviet-style military parade or if I wanted to opt for the meetings with delegations.”

When asked if he had sought a briefing before flying to Beijing, Carr said there were Australian diplomats at the events he attended.

Palaszczuk said Carr and Andrews’ attendance at the commemoration events was a mistake. “If it were me, it’d be a definite N-O,” Palaszczuk told Sky News on Wednesday.

“I respect Dan, I respect Bob. But I think they’ve just gone the next level. Go there for a holiday, do your business talks, but there’s no need to attend this military parade.”

Victoria’s Emergency Services Minister Vicki Ward said it was a matter for Andrews and pushed back on questions of whether it was appropriate.

“What’s the connotation?” Ward said at a press conference earlier on Wednesday. “He’s going as a private individual, and these are choices he’s made as a private individual.”

She said it was important to maintain good, healthy relationships with other countries in the region.

One Victorian Labor MP, speaking anonymously to be frank, said it was a bad look.

Labor MPs were not willing to go on record criticising a successful former premier, but several were privately shocked.

“It was quite sad really to see a provincial leader being used in this way,” one told this masthead on the condition of anonymity.

Both opposition home affairs spokesman Andrew Hastie and Nationals leader David Littleproud described Andrews and Carr as “pawns” of the Chinese regime.

The image of Andrews standing two rows behind Kim in Xi’s official group photo of foreign leaders and former leaders is set to boost the former premier’s business clout in China, where portraits of the Chinese president are ubiquitous.

Andrews spent $416,000 of taxpayers’ funding on six trips to China as premier – more than on any other country – before and after Victoria signed on to Beijing’s $1.5 trillion Belt and Road infrastructure initiative in 2019.

The state government’s disclosure logs reveal he witnessed deals between Chemist Warehouse and Alibaba, helped secure a $130 million partnership between medical technology specialist Compumedics and Chinese medical provider Health 100, lobbied for direct daily flights from Beijing and Sichuan to Melbourne, and the extension of a sponsorship deal between the Australian Open and Chinese liquor giant Luzhou Laojiao.

In early 2024, after resigning as premier, he registered two companies, Glencairn Street and Wedgetail Partners, the latter of which he runs with his former multicultural adviser, Marty Mei. Mei, who solicited political donations from the Chinese community and helped strike the Belt and Road deal, travelled on each trip to China with Andrews as premier.

Glencairn Street and Wedgetail Partners, which reportedly specialise in foreign investment, have no website or contact details. Andrews and Mei did not respond to requests for comment.

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