Journal of Australia-China Affairs 2014

These are mainly websites related to Chinese political participation, such as the Guangdong Overseas Chinese Affairs website, China.org.cn and Chinanews.com. This text mainly adopts historical research methods, and primarily explores the development of Chinese political participation in Australia since the 1970s This essay is divided into two main parts. Firstly, it provides a brief analysis of Chinese political participation upon consideration of the methods employed by ethnic Chinese in their political participation, as well as the reasons for the development of such activity. The second part discusses how, although there is still more to desire of Chinese political participation in terms of its range and scale, the increasing number of political candidates with Chinese descent is sure to bring more distinguished Chinese people into the political arena. These elites will gradually become a major force in mainstream society, and contribute to the advancement and prosperity of Australian society. The Main Types of Chinese Political Participation There are many ways in which Chinese people can participate in Australian politics; the most direct method of which is by being elected to political posts such as a Member of Parliament or local mayor, were they can directly express their political views to government. Within Australian political circles, many exemplary Chinese people fight for the interests of their community, and have played important roles in the promotion of Australia-­‐China relations. If we take a broad view of history, we can see that before the Second World War there were already some ‘Chinese’ holding important posts within political circles. For example, the Ballarat-­‐born politician Thomas Bakhap, who was raised by an adoptive Chinese father and spoke Chinese, was elected as a Tasmanian Senator to the Commonwealth Parliament from 1913-­‐1923. When he passed away, the Prime Minister at the time praised him as “The most capable and loyal politician in legislative politics”. 1 Nevertheless, Chinese people only truly began to participate in politics in the 1970s. Following the abandonment of the White Australia policy and the popularisation of multiculturalism, there has been an increasing presence of Chinese people in the Australian political arena. This phenomenon became apparent in the latter half of the 1980s. Alec Fong Lim, of Taishan, Guangdong ancestry, was born in the small town of Katherine in northern Australia in February 1931. He was a third-­‐generation Chinese-­‐Australian. He became involved in politics in 1982, when he ran for a position in the local government. In 1984, he was elected Lord Mayor of Darwin at his first attempt, making him the first local mayor of Chinese ancestry in Australian history. 2 Another example is Helen Sham-­‐Ho, of Bao’an ancestry. A lawyer by profession, upon joining the Liberal Party she was nominated to run for the New South Wales Senate as a representative of ethnic minorities. She became the first Chinese politician to be elected into an Australian state parliament, and in this position she proved herself to be extremely capable. 3 She made a great contribution towards many causes; 1 Deliang Ding, ‘Stories of Overseas Chinese Political Participation’, Sohu News, 15 August 2008, http://news.sohu.com/20070815/n251600886_4.shtml. 2 Xue Mei, Liqin Qiang and Li Zheng, ‘Chinese Mayors who Shook the Political Arena (3) Australia’s First Chinese Mayor – Alec Fong Lim’, Jiangmen Daily, 15 October 2004, http://www.jmnews.com.cn/c/2004/10/15/15/c_408307.shtml. 3 See: ‘Helen Sham-­‐Ho Awarded Honorary Doctorate by University of Western Sydney’, Sydney Today, 15 September 2014, http://www.meltoday.com/n/bencandy.php?fid=82&id=1808. 58 JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIA-­‐CHINA AFFAIRS