Victorian state election 2018: Andrews Government’s second secret Belt and Road deal revealed

Daniel Andrews signed a secret infrastructure deal with China more than 18 months before striking another agreement that has sparked a political brawl during the state election campaign.

EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Andrews signed a secret infrastructure deal with China more than 18 months before striking another agreement that has sparked a political brawl during the state election campaign.

The Premier has been under fire for inking a deal last month to formally link Victoria with China’s Belt and Road infrastructure plan despite federal government concerns.

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But the Herald Sun can reveal Mr Andrews locked in another agreement to co-operate with China on public-private infrastructure partnerships on March 24 last year.

The memorandum of understanding, which was never announced by the government, was revealed in a speech by Chinese Consul-General Zhao Jian at a Belt and Road lunch in Melbourne on May 30 last year.

He told the lunch — which Mr Andrews attended — that Victoria had played “a leading role” in working with China on Belt and Road, and praised the Premier’s “vision” on the initiative.

“We hope and believe that there will be more co-operation in the future,” Mr Zhao said.

The Herald Sun understands the Andrews Government did not seek formal advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs on the Belt and Road Initiative until June this year.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings said the second secret agreement with China was “really concerning”.

Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AAP

“If we’re now talking about a longstanding relationship between the Victorian government and the Chinese, that has been undisclosed for a long period of time, that gives rise to some very serious questions,” he said.

After Mr Andrews was forced to release the most recent Belt and Road agreement, Shadow Treasurer Michael O’Brien said he had been “caught red-handed” again and now needed to release the second deal.

“It’s time that ‘Chairman Dan’ came clean to Victorians on all his secret deals with the Chinese Government,” Mr O’Brien said.

A government spokeswoman said the government “makes no apologies for growing trade and investment opportunities for our state across the world”.

Two weeks before Mr Zhao’s speech last year, Mr Andrews was the only Australian state leader to attend the Belt and Road Forum in China.

A government press release said he opened a forum on public private partnerships but did not mention the memorandum of understanding. Mr Zhao said Mr Andrews had held “fruitful meetings with China’s senior officials”.

Mr Jennings warned the revelations highlighted “a long-term cultivation strategy on the part of the Chinese” targeting Victoria, even as the federal government refused to formally link Australia with Belt and Road.

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