2 weeks Ago
A video shared thousands of times on a Chinese social media platform claiming a re-elected Albanese government would adopt "the far-left agenda" of the Greens and potentially seize vacant homes was created by a member of a WeChat group campaigning for the Liberal party in a marginal Melbourne seat. The six-minute video, narrated by a woman who refers to herself as Auntie Guoer, also claims any minority Albanese government that might rely on the Greens would "crackdown on the middle class" and lead to the decline of "traditional social structures". Screenshots obtained by Guardian Australia show Auntie Guoer became a member of a WeChat group called the "Aston Liberal Party campaign group" in August 2024.
Aston is a Labor-held marginal seat in Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs that is being targeted by the Liberals. It has one of the largest Chinese-Australian communities in Victoria. Auntie Guoer confirmed she was a member of the group when contacted by Guardian Australia and described herself as a longtime supporter of the Liberal party, though not a financial member.
She said she voluntarily made the video, which had so far been shared close to 2,000 times. The voting intentions of the Chinese-Australian community could decide the outcome of several marginal seats including Menzies, Aston and Chisholm in Melbourne, and Bennelong in Sydney. Guardian Australia has revealed Chinese content creators on WeChat and Rednote are increasingly sharing political content to influence voters.
The video was referred to the Australian Electoral Commission for consideration by Dr Corinne Ang, who alleged it contained misinformation designed to sway the voting intentions of Chinese...
Henry Belot.
