Home Affairs Minister’s China election claim ‘unhinged’: Labor

Labor has slammed “desperate and unhinged” accusations from a senior minister that China is seeking to interfere in Australia’s election.

Labor has called a senior government minister “desperate and unhinged” for suggesting China deliberately timed the signing of a security pact with Solomon Islands to coincide with the federal election.

In an interview on Brisbane radio, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews warned the move amounted to “political interference” from Beijing.

“Beijing is clearly very aware we are in a federal election campaign here at the moment,” she said.

“Why now, why right in the middle of a federal election campaign, is all of this coming to light?

“I mean we talk about political interference and that has many forms. So, I think we need to be aware of what Beijing is doing and what it is trying to achieve.”

Labor frontbencher Jim Chalmers hit back later on Wednesday when he was asked what he thought of her remarks.

“Even by the incredibly low standards of this government, I thought what Karen Andrews said was remarkably desperate and remarkably unhinged,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“On a day when inflation is going through the roof, on a day when it becomes clearer than ever that ordinary working families are falling behind and can’t get ahead, it says everything about this government that they want to make a claim like that.

“The Australian people will determine who wins this election.”

Karen Andrews issued a blunt assessment of the situation on Wednesday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Opposition defence spokesman Brendan O’Connor said Senator Andrews comments were an example of the minister being out of her depth.

“She’s embarking on flights of conspiratorial fantasy,” Mr O’Connor said on Twitter.

“The government won't accept they have presided over one of the worst policy failures in the Pacific since WWII,” he said. “When you mess up, fess up!”

National security has dominated the past week of the election with both sides taking digs at the other about the state of Australia’s relationship with the Pacific.

Mr Morrison said he has drawn a red line in the Pacific. Picture: Jason Edwards

On Sunday, Scott Morrison said the prospect of having a Chinese military base in the Pacific was a “red line”.

By Tuesday, the Prime Minister said he was just stating US policy and declined to outline how Australia would respond if the line was crossed.

China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin overnight dismissed speculation Beijing would establish a military base on the Pacific Island nation.

However, the Home Affairs Minister said it was “likely” troops could be stationed in Solomon Islands within the year.

“It’s very likely that they will proceed down that path,” Senator Andrews told 4BC radio.

“We need to be very much aware of what Beijing is doing, what it's plans are and what it's trying to achieve out of the actions that it’s taking.

“Particularly in the Solomons, but not exclusively in the Solomons.”

Joe Hockey blasted the Solomon Islands for being “corrupt”. Photo by Allison Shelley

Senator Andrews’ comments came just hours after former treasurer Joe Hockey blasted what he claimed were “corrupt” politicians in Honiara.

“The issue is you’ve got officials in these countries that are corrupt, let’s call it as it is,” he told Seven.

“We don’t pay money to elected officials or to appointed officials the same way other countries might, so we don’t have the same sort of influence that other countries do, nor does the United States.”

But the former US ambassador stopped short of claiming China had paid bribes to the Solomon Islands.

“I don’t want to end up in defamation hearings,” he said.

Originally published as Home Affairs Minister’s China election claim ‘unhinged’: Labor