Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has released a speech he gave to a China-Australia economic event after distancing himself from an apparent move not to invite local media.
In the address, Mr Andrews called for a fresh start to Victoria’s relationship with China but declined to touch on defence or foreign policy issues.
The Melbourne branch of the China Chamber of Commerce in Australia hosted the premier at the Park Hyatt hotel on Monday but no local media attended.
It came two months after the Victorian Labor leader travelled to China without inviting any Australian press.
Organisers did not consult Mr Andrews on his view about barring local media but he wouldn’t have had a problem with journalists attending, he told reporters on Wednesday.
He said he did not make his speech notes public because it was “off the cuff” however the premier’s office later released a 30-minute recording.
“Is there even a need to ask me whether I support the media having access to me,” he asked earlier on Wednesday.
“I’ve done more press conferences than most, perhaps more than anyone.”
Mr Andrews, who fronted 120 consecutive days of press conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic, said he did not record himself speaking on Monday night and was not aware of whether his staff did.
During the speech he spruiked economic ties between Victoria and China as he called for a fresh start to the relationship between the two.
Mr Andrews said that as a state politician, he offered no comments on national matters like foreign affairs, defence and strategy.
“A lot has been said recently in relation to some tensions in that partnership and in those relationships,” Mr Andrews told the audience.
“I’m not a national politician, and I don’t pretend to be a national politician and I’ll offer you no commentary.”
He did not mention detained Australian journalist Cheng Lei who has been in custody for more than two years and denied contact with her family, who live in Melbourne.
Melbourne Lord Mayor Sally Capp and former federal trade minister Andrew Robb were among the crowd of hundreds.
Topics in Ms Capp’s speech notes ranged from the council’s strategic partnerships with the cities of Tianjin, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Suzhou and Chengdu to Chinese migrants first settling in Melbourne during the Victorian gold rush.
Ms Capp said it was the first major face-to-face meeting with the China Chamber of Commerce since borders reopened following the pandemic.
“It was a worthy occasion to reflect,” she said in a statement.
The chamber’s Melbourne branch has been contacted for comment.
Australian Associated Press