"Update My Details" button. Assistant Secretary of the ACTU 1994-99. Log in with your favourite social network. "We should be damn proud as a nation that we led the world in not only on understanding what the WHO has done, but understanding what wildlife wet markets' role is in these pandemics," he said. Trade Union Official. Australian Strategic Policy Institute defence program director Michael Shoebridge said Mr Pallas sounded "a bit like the ghost of Christmas past" and had failed to recognise that the 80 per cent tariff on barley had been imposed by Beijing not Canberra. Edit the basic details of your profile below. Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching, chair of the Senate Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade References Committee, said state governments "have no constitutional responsibility for foreign affairs and trade" and it should be left to the federal government. Due to travel restrictions, he is currently based in Canberra. You can find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out For our free coronavirus pandemic coverage, The Sydney Morning Herald’s newsletter here. account now. Victorian Treasurer Tim Pallas Credit:James Ross. "And I think if people are going to play the blame game, we should blame the wrongdoer, and not the victim.". “I reckon every second person I’ve met in the past 30 years contacted me yesterday with a tip – Daniel Andrews was gone. Treasurer Tim Pallas has responded to a bizarre rumour he is mounting a tilt against Daniel Andrews for Victorian politics top job after the viral circulation of a hoax text message on social media. Last week it was also revealed he offloaded his Westpac BlueChip20 fund, which included shares in Transurban, the toll road giant in line to haul in billions from its deal with the state government to build the West Gate Tunnel. 3AW – Melbourne’s favourite news and talk station. "I don’t suppose it will come as a surprise to anybody that this was a consequence of the way that the federal government had conducted themselves," he said. Get a life,” he joked. Don't have an account? You can now log in once to listen live, watch live, join competitions, enjoy exclusive 3AW content and other benefits. Your profile has been updated successfully. “He said I could quote him saying ‘It is total nonsense, feel free to knock it on the head’. Mr Pallas said on Tuesday he had made it clear he was "not a big fan" of how the Morrison government had managed its relationship with China in general, and linked the barley ban to the coronavirus inquiry push. Senior national security figures within the federal government are concerned about Victoria's decision to continue with the scheme, which comes at the same time as the Morrison government prepares to take China to the World Trade Organisation over the increasingly bitter trade dispute. Anthony is foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Sign up to The Sydney Morning Herald’s newsletter here and The Age’s here. "The Victorian government should not have entered into an agreement with the Chinese government on the Belt and Road Initiative - it is bad policy and bad optics," Senator Kitching said.