“Beijing Bob” Carr has migrated to the AFR:
Imagine the crucial byelection had not been in Wentworth but in another Sydney electorate, Barton. Instead of a 12 per cent Jewish population, it is one with a 34 per cent Chinese population. And imagine that, in the context of this byelection and after lobbying by the Chinese community, the federal government had announced it was considering a shift in Australia’s position on the South China Sea. Perhaps by way of an article in a Chinese language paper.
…These scenarios are exactly analogous with the announcement of the Morrison government, at the insistence of the Liberal candidate for Wentworth, Dave Sharma, that they were considering changing the location of the Australian embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and joining President Trump in his repudiation of the multinational nuclear deal with Iran.
But here’s the truth, and it undercuts that part of the recent China Panic that questioned the allegiance of Chinese Australians. Australians with Chinese heritage simply do not lobby on China’s national interest. This may appear a bold statement or a surprising fact. It is both but it’s also true. As a former politician I cannot recall a single delegation from a Chinese community organisation to a federal member of Parliament, or to the machine of either party, pressing for a shift in foreign policy. This would include on South China Sea, Taiwan or Tibet.
Come on, Bob. This is just sad. Massive donations left, right and centre into political parties and individual MPs, not mention your own “think tank”, are all just a bit of fun in the Sun?
