Zoe McKenzie MP
Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Early Learning
Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health
Federal Member for Flinders
TRANSCRIPT – SKY NEWS KENNY REPORT INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS KENNY
Thursday, 4 September 2025
Topics: Daniel Andrews’ attendance of Chinese Military Parade, Nauru detainee deal
CHRIS KENNY: Let’s go to Canberra now and catch up with Zoe McKenzie, who’s the Shadow Assistant Minister for Education. Thanks for joining us, Zoe. As a Victorian Liberal MP yourself, what are your thoughts on Daniel Andrews’ performance in Beijing? And is there any sanction, any admonishment that should be coming from the federal government?
ZOE MCKENZIE: Originally, Chris, when I saw the images, I almost thought I was watching an American movie. The line-up literally looked like something out of Thunderbirds. There they all were. We’ve got Russia, we’ve got Iran, we’ve got North Korea, and Dan Andrews, one of the longest-serving premiers of my state. So it was quite a surprise, but I suspect he’s there obviously entirely in a personal capacity. I suspect he’s there because it’s good for his business and his post-political life. But it was quite a shock.
He’s obviously been condemned today by a number of his former colleagues. I think Annastacia Palaszczuk was quite clear that this was a big N-O in her judgment to be amongst that line-up. But interestingly, the Prime Minister has refused to comment on it and let bygones be bygones, I suppose. But it is obviously quite confronting imagery to see him there with many people deeply opposed to Australia’s stand on many principles in the world at the moment.
CHRIS KENNY: Now, Albanese’s line that he’s a free citizen, he can do what he likes, there’s no need to really admonish him publicly, is wrong, isn’t it? Because he has status as a former premier. He is there. Whether we like it or not, he’s seen effectively as a de facto representative of Australia. It damages our diplomacy. It damages our national reputation. And therefore, the Prime Minister should be very clear about stating that so that China and those other dictatorships know exactly where Australia stands.
ZOE MCKENZIE: Well, I think he was precisely invited there as a former Australian senior politician. Based on the family photo that I saw, it seems to be people of stature within the political world in their relative countries. So he’s invited, really, to indicate Australia’s participation in such an event. And for that reason, the Prime Minister could and should be able to make a comment. I just suspect in this case the Prime Minister’s somewhat hampered by the fact they’re really good mates. You know, they flew into my electorate a couple of years ago for a barbecue on a clifftop and he doesn’t want to diss his mate in public.
CHRIS KENNY: I’ve just got a reading from a statement that’s just been put out by Daniel Andrews, Zoe. I’ll just share it with people as quickly as we can. And, you know, he’s tried to justify his trip there. He says that there’s no confusion from him. He’s condemned Putin in the past for his illegal war in Ukraine and says he’s been banned from Russia because of that. And he also says that he’s a strong supporter of Israel and the Australian Jewish community and therefore he’s unequivocally condemned Iran for its attacks in Australia, Israel and elsewhere. Well, you don’t back up those views, Daniel Andrews, by turning up and sharing a stage with these blokes. Your actions don’t meet your words.
ZOE MCKENZIE: No.
CHRIS KENNY: So that’s the latest from Daniel Andrews finally putting out a statement. I’ve just got to get… Yeah. Zoe McKenzie, while we’ve got you also, I’ve got to get your thoughts on Nauru. We find out this deal with Nauru could be $2.5 billion over time. It reeks of hypocrisy because Albanese and so many others in Labor have for so long condemned the Pacific solution and the sending of asylum seekers to Nauru, yet now they’re looking to send criminals there.
ZOE MCKENZIE: Honestly, I think we need to have a good hard look at this government’s actions in relation to our Pacific neighbours. Earlier this week, I rose in the chamber to talk about the Australia-Nauru Treaty that had been entered into at the end of last year. It was meant to give us some certainty about any future deals Nauru might do with our neighbours that may consider to be a threat to Australia. So that deal was done in November. And then in August, there was another deal done for $1 billion between Nauru and some Chinese organisation that no-one can actually find anywhere on the internet.
The good folk from the Department of Foreign Affairs described it as an investment proposal, but there’s been no clear certainty what this is for. Did we have any discussions? Did we know about it? The next thing you know, the Minister for Home Affairs is flying to Nauru urgently on the weekend to do what’s supposedly a $400 million deal, but then based on evidence given to the Senate last night, may in fact be a $2.5 billion deal.
I had a community forum on Sunday and I had residents saying to me, seriously, I need help here. We need help here. My kids’ NDIS payments are about to be cut and we’re spending all this money. Now, I think people are happy to spend money when it’s for good outcomes and it’s for real security. But $2.5 billion for a few hundred people? For, frankly, to make up for a mess of Labor’s own making?
CHRIS KENNY: Seems extraordinary.
ZOE MCKENZIE: Extraordinary.
CHRIS KENNY: Yeah, we need to find out. We need to find out more. Thanks for joining us, Zoe. I appreciate Zoe McKenzie there joining us from Canberra.
ENDS.
