Annastacia Palaszczuk weighs in on Victorian government’s controversial China Belt and Road Initiative deal

Annastacia Palaszczuk has broken ranks with Labor colleagues following the Victorian government’s controversial China deal.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk talks at the press conference. Picture: AAP

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has broken ranks with her Labor colleagues following the Victorian government’s controversial decision to join China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative.

As Bill Shorten defended Daniel Andrews’s move as part of “normal day-to-day work” for a state government, Ms Palaszczuk rejected suggestions Queensland join Victoria in going behind Canberra’s back.

“I firmly believe that issues in relation to One Belt One Road and the relationships between China and the Australian government should be at the (national) government-to-government level,” she told reporters in Brisbane.

Ms Palaszczuk has frequently upbraided the federal government over its refusal to fund her government’s favoured infrastructure projects, such as Brisbane Cross-River Rail.

Ms Palaszczuk said state governments should instead forge relationships with sub-national governments, such as Queensland’s 30-year sisterhood with Shanghai.

“Queensland is viewed very highly. We have a good, strong relationship with China and in particular with Shanghai and we will continue to build on those strengths and our exports will continue to increase,” she said.

“We are not discounting of course our trade across other areas of China, but that special relationship is something that every other state is jealous of.”

The Queensland-Shanghai sister-state relationship was established in 1989 and is reaffirmed every three years.

Ms Palaszczuk said several multinationals had complained to her during a trade mission to China last week that the federal government was paralysed.

“I have had many companies say to me, at the moment, business is stalled and they cannot conduct any business with the federal government,” she said.

“Their message is very clear: they want to do business with a government that is stable, that’s looking out for its people, and that’s getting on with the job.”