COAG discussed China concerns: Palaszczuk

Andrew Hastie’s concerns over China were raised at COAG, says Qld premier.

Deputy Chair of Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security Anthony Byrne. Picture: AAP.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has confirmed Coalition MP Andrew Hastie’s China concerns were discussed by leaders at COAG, but insists the state’s trading relationship will not be damaged by the remarks.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and the state and territory leaders met in Cairns on Friday, with Ms Palaszczuk today confirming that the meeting discussed Mr Hastie’s warning that Australia was facing an unprecedented economic and national security test from China.

“That was an issue that was raised at COAG, and it is an important issue,” Ms Palaszczuk said in Brisbane today.

“Let me say this from a Queensland perspective. I regard our relationship with China very importantly. It’s our number one trading partner. That’s why later this year there will be a trade mission, recognising the 30-year partnership that Queensland has with Shanghai. We will continue to grow our exports into China, we’ll continue to work with China closely, and my view is no different to other premiers that were at COAG.”

“I just want to reassure everyone that we have a very close working relationship with China.”

Backing for Hastie

If followed one of Labor’s most influential figures on national security broadly backing Mr Hastie’s concerns over China’s growing interference in Australian affairs, and slamming government ministers trying to censure him.

Labor MP Anthony Byrne — the deputy chair of the parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security (PJIS) — said concerns expressed in Mr Hastie’s recent article about China’s growing interference in this country and the region was “shared” by the parliament and the reasoning behind recent laws to tackle foreign interference.

Mr Byrne also slapped down Trade Minister Simon Birmingham for censuring Mr Hastie — the chairman of the PJIS — and saying MPs should only speak about China if they have considered the “national interest”.

Mr Hastie, the head of Parliament’s intelligence committee last week warned Australia was facing an unprecedented economic and national security test, likening the world’s approach to containing China to the “catastrophic failure” to prevent the rise of Nazi Germany.

Mr Hastie said “choices will be made for us” unless Australia confronted the reality of China’s ambitions.

Andrew Hastie at a recent hearing of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security. Picture: AAP.

He said the West once believed that economic liberalisation would lead to democratisation in China but “Australia has failed to see how mobile our authoritarian neighbour has become. Even worse, we ignore the role that ideology plays in (Beijing’s) actions across the Indo-Pacific region.’’

While Mr Byrne refused to back Mr Hastie’s comparisons between the rise of China and Nazi Germany, the Labor MP said politicians and intelligence agencies backed the Coalition MP’s views on strategic threats.

“The Australian parliament shared Andrew’s concerns when it passed foreign interference and anti-espionage laws in June last year. This is not something which is just a recent development,” Mr Byrne told ABC radio today.

“I would agree with the fact that we’re facing — and I think our intelligence agencies are saying — that we’re facing an unprecedented levels of attempts to subvert our democracy through foreign interference and espionage.

“If you look at the intelligence assessments, those threats, those dangers, continue.”

Senator Birmingham said on Sunday that he would encourage colleagues to question the necessity and helpfulness of making comments about China before publicly raising issues that could affect Australia’s national interests.

Senator Birmingham’s comments have further exposed a split within the Coalition when it comes to the China relationship, with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann last week describing Mr Hastie’s Nazi comparison as “a bit clumsy and inappropriate”.

Today, Mr Byrne said the division among government ministers on Mr Hastie’s article was creating “confusion on China”.

The Labor deputy chairman also said if Senator Birmingham wanted to silence the Coalition MP on the threats associated with China, he would have to censure Australia’s security chiefs too.

“You’ve got ministers falling over themselves. Some to back the Chair in, some to distance themselves. What that does, because the government is the government, it creates confusion in the public’s mind,” he told ABC radio.

“If he’s going to use that perspective, the Trade Minister should perhaps censure the head of ASIO and other agencies when they talk about the strategic threat.

“I think having a standard set by a trade minister, an economic minister, defining what’s in the national interest is not the way to go.

“I would look at what Senator Birmingham said as an economic minister, he’s not a national security minister.”

While backing his concerns about foreign interference, Mr Byrne appeared to distance himself from Mr Hastie’s Nazi Germany comments and called for “hyperbole” to be taken out of the China debate.

“What’s he done is put his concerns in his way … it would be good to have a cohesive conversation about this, a measured conservation about this, calm conservation about this.”

“Can we have a measured conversation about these matters? Not in a hysterical way, or anything that’s filled with any sort of hyperbole, or anything that can misinterpreted.”