Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s support for former politicians “cashing in” after leaving politics is disturbing with the latest being his former flatmate and good friend former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews making $millions working for China.

The military parade at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Wednesday was to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

Dan Andrews, who was given the nickname “Dictator Dan” by Victorian voters during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, was photographed with China’s President Xi Jinping on Wednesday (3/9/25) and then had a group photograph which included Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong-un.

It raises 2 key questions:

1. How long has Dan Andrews been on China’s payroll given some of Andrews’ history?
2. Why does Prime Minister Anthony Albanese continue to support former politicians, on both side of politics, making money from their time as politicians?

Dan Andrews and Chinese President Xi Jinping – September 2025

“Dictator Dan” or “Chairman Dan” as he became known to many Victorians

Below are some of Dan Andrews’ suspect dealings with China when he was Premier of Victoria from 2014 until 2023:

1. On the 23rd of October 2019 Dan Andrews government announced:

The Victorian Government has today signed a new deal with China under the Belt and Road Initiative that will help fast track cooperation in the key areas of infrastructure, innovation, ageing, and trade development providing more opportunities for Victorian companies and more Victorian jobs.

In another sign of the strong relationship between Victoria and China, Premier Daniel Andrews signed a Framework Agreement with China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). It follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2018. (Click here to read more)

2. No other Australian state signed a similar deal with China. In 2020 the federal government passed laws allowing them to cancel deals between states and other countries. In April 2021 the federal government cancelled the agreement between China and Victoria with the ABC reporting:

There have been concerns about China potentially using the BRI to gain power and influence across the world, in what’s been dubbed “debt-trap diplomacy.”

The most striking example of this was in Sri Lanka, where China took control of the country’s second-largest port on a 99-year lease after the country failed to pay off a $1 billion debt linked to its BRI agreement. (Click here to read more)

3. In March 2023 Dan Andrews had a secret trip to China. I say secret because no media were taken, which is unheard of, and no one knew about the trip until the media asked questions. The SMH published an article on the 1st of April 2023 titled “How Daniel Andrews pulled off a China trip shrouded in mystery” which says:

It was a Victorian trade mission with a level of subterfuge the Chinese Communist Party would be proud of.

Premier Daniel Andrews’ latest surprise visit to China, Victoria’s largest trading partner, has been pitched as a mission to strengthen the state’s standing among prospective international students there.

Four sources in the higher education sector said Andrews didn’t reach out to universities or vice chancellors about the trip. The public has been given scant details on the discussions Andrews had while there. No journalists or education industry figures were invited. (Click here to read more)

The ABC published an article titled: “Daniel Andrews downplays transparency criticism after ‘very successful’ trip to China” which says:

The premier was widely criticised for not taking reporters with him on the trade mission, while a peak body for the international education sector was critical of the fact there were no educators travelling from Australia.

Scant details were provided about the premier’s meetings with leaders and diplomats in Beijing, and the Jiangsu and Sichuan provinces.

Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the trip was “still shrouded in secrecy and many questions remained”.

Mr Pesutto said the questions he wanted answered included why journalists and experts were not invited and what else the premier did on his trip. (Click here to read more)

Wikipedia says: “At a media conference on 26 September 2023, Andrews announced his resignation as premier, leader of the Victorian Labor Party, and member for Mulgrave, to take effect the following day at 5 pm. He cited thoughts of life following his premiership, which he felt meant “it is time to go”. (Click here to read more)

3. The SMH published an article (4/9/25) that summarises what Dan Andrews has done since leaving politics which says:

Dan Andrews’ “private business dealings has remained shrouded in secrecy through the companies he has registered in Australia: Glencairn Street, Wedgetail Partners and Forty Eight & Partners, which have no websites, contact details or public updates.”

and “Daniel Andrews pledged to promote the advantages of one of China’s largest state-owned energy companies as it rapidly increased its investment in the Australian electricity grid, as part of a series of meetings between the former Victorian premier and leading Chinese business figures over the past year.”

and “Andrews is not registered on the federal government’s foreign influence register.”

and “Andrews also began meeting with Chinese companies well before the 18-month restriction imposed on business meetings by Victoria’s ministerial code of conduct.”

and “Andrews’ former political and multicultural adviser, Marty Mei,” “who is now Andrews’ business partner” “helped secure a $100,000 donation for the Victorian Labor Party through a Chinese business group ahead of the 2014 state election”. (Click here to read the full article)

Did the $100,000 Chinese donation in 2014 to the Labor Party buy influence with Dan Andrews after he won the 2014 state election? Certainly looks like it.

The secret China Trip was at the end of March 2023 and in September 2023 Dan Andrews retired because of “thoughts of life following his premiership” which we now know those “thoughts of life following his premiership” were making $millions working on behalf of Chinese government owned companies.

So, what really happened on Dan Andrews March 2023 China trip? Was Andrews already on China’s payroll then or was Andrews sorting out a secret deal with the Chinese government for his retirement which happened only 6 months after the trip?

Anthony Albanese defends Dan Andrews September 2025 China trip

“Albanese and Andrews go back to the 1990s, when they shared a flat and worked in Canberra together, and Albanese was playing a straight bat to defend his mate on Wednesday. He said Andrews was not meeting with Kim or Putin and noted that the former Coalition had sent then-minister for veterans’ affairs Michael Ronaldson to a similar parade a decade ago.” (Click here to read more)

The difference between Dan Andrews and other politicians and former politicians is that:

1. Andrews accepted a $100,000 donation from Chinese business people which helped him become Premier in 2014.
2. In 2019 Andrews signed a deal with China under the Belt and Road Initiative, that no other state signed, and which was later cancelled by the federal government.
3. In 2023, six months before he resigned, Dan Andrews went to China as Premier shrouded in secrecy.
4. In 2025 Dan Andrews was the only current or former Australian politician at China’s parade surrounded by dictators. Andrews was there for his own financial benefit, not for Australia’s benefit.

Prime Minster Anthony Albanese has supported Dan Andrews “cashing in” the same as he has supported former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey cashing in on the $368 billion AUKUS scam less than 12 months after he became Prime Minister in 2022 as per the below picture:

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Joe Hockey in March 2023

You can only assume that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese supports the likes of Dan Andrews, Joe Hockey, Scott Morrison and many others making $millions from the public purse after they leave politics because Albanese plans on doing the same when he retires from politics.

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