Election battle on Chinese apps intensifies as Liberals target crucial voters
An intensifying election battle is unfolding on Chinese social media apps — as the Liberals ramp up efforts to win back a crucial group of voters who abandoned the party at the 2022 election.
Researchers monitoring Australian political advertising and campaigning on popular apps WeChat and RedNote have noticed a surge in activity by the major parties and independents in recent weeks.
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University of Melbourne research fellow Fan Yang said one party appeared to be campaigning particularly heavily on Chinese platforms.
"We have seen a higher number of political advertising by Liberal Party members," she told ABC News.
Dr Yang is leading the RECapture project, along with Robbie Fordyce from Monash University and Luke Heemsbergen from Deakin University.
Since January, the team has found more than 220 authorised Liberal ads on WeChat and about 30 for Labor.
Political attack ads have appeared on Chinese social media recently.
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Supplied: RECapture Research Project
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In the past fortnight, the campaign battle on Chinese platforms has escalated, as political attack ads targeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton — authorised by the major parties — have appeared.
Dr Yang said the WeChat battleground had also been evolving in the final weeks of the election campaign.
"Just in recent weeks, the candidates have diversified. We're seeing more independents and minor parties," she said.
Both major parties seek to win over Chinese-Australian voters.
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Supplied: RECapture Research Project
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Key seats targeted with Chinese social media campaigns
The Liberal candidate for the ultra-marginal Sydney seat of Bennelong appears to have one of the largest Chinese social media campaigns.
Scott Yung has appeared in more than 100 authorised ads found by the RECapture team since January.
Mr Yung is aiming to oust Labor MP Jerome Laxale from the electorate, which is now notionally Liberal due to a boundary redraw.
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About 30 per cent of residents in Bennelong have Chinese heritage.
It was among a handful of seats lost by the Liberals in 2022 after there were significant swings against the party in areas with large Chinese-Australian communities.
An internal review found the backlash was partially driven by the Morrison government's criticisms of the Chinese government and an "incorrect perception" it was also aimed at the wider Chinese community.
It recommended "rebuilding the Liberal Party's relationship with the Chinese community" as a priority.
Blue-ribbon Bradfield on Sydney's north shore is the electorate with the fifth largest population of Chinese voters in Australia.
Candidates for Bradfield and Bennelong have been appearing on Chinese platforms.
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Supplied: RECapture Research Project
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It's also among the seats the Liberal Party is at risk of losing at the upcoming election, as former government minister Paul Fletcher retires.
The Liberals' pick for Bradfield, Gisele Kapterian, has appeared in dozens of authorised ads on WeChat this year.
Nicolette Boele, the teal independent candidate regarded as Ms Kapterian's toughest competition, has also recently appeared in campaign material on the Chinese platform.
A spokesperson for the Liberals declined to comment on the ads appearing on Chinese social media, as it is against the rules of major parties to publicly discuss campaign strategy.
"Liberal candidates are communicating with their communities about the important choice they have on May 3," he said.
'Important tool' to speak to community
The RECapture project has also been examining campaign material on the Chinese version of Instagram, known as RedNote or Little Red Book.
Dr Yang said posts on this platform often differed in tone from content shared on the English-language social media accounts of MPs and candidates.
"What I find interesting is some of the content is tailored to Chinese migrant communities — for example, content about Australian politicians going to a Chinese restaurant, drinking bubble teas, going to Asian grocery stores,"
she said.
"This kind of content is not necessarily visible or published on English-language social media services like Instagram, but they're on RedNote to target Chinese-Australian voters."
It's harder for politicians to campaign on RedNote — due to the platform discouraging political content and a "shadow ban" preventing a number of MPs and candidates from being found on the app via a name search.
Some MPs regularly use Chinese social media to stay in touch with members of their multicultural communities.
Dr Yang co-leads the RECapture project.
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ABC News: Peter Healy
)
Labor MP Sally Sitou described it as a "really important tool" to communicate directly with the large Chinese community in her inner-west Sydney electorate of Reid.
"You wouldn't expect to be speaking to young people through The Australian newspaper — you'd expect to be speaking to them through the channels they use, like Instagram and TikTok,"
she said.
"The same can be said for the Chinese community. They are mostly now on WeChat and Little Red Book (or RedNote), so that's the best way to get in touch with them."
The Liberal candidate vying for Ms Sitou's seat, Grange Chung, has also been increasingly active on Chinese social media — including links to the apps on his campaign posters.
"We're a very diverse electorate, so I need to reach out to particularly, say, the Chinese community, through the social media they use and we're going through all available channels in that regard," he said in a recent TV interview with ABC News.
'A good way to pass on information'
Justin Zhang has lived in Reid for more than a decade, after migrating to Australia from China.
The father-of-one, who works in the banking sector, stays up to date using a combination of traditional news services, English-language social media platforms and Chinese apps.
Mr Zhang is happy to see more Australian politicians using Chinese social media apps to communicate with migrant communities.
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ABC News: Berge Breiland
)
He told the ABC he was glad to see more Australian MPs and political candidates on Chinese platforms.
"It's good they're exploring the new social media for new migrants like me," he said.
"We use social media a lot."
Jack Fang is a Chinese-Australian who lives in the electorate of Bradfield — on Sydney's north shore.
He uses both WeChat and RedNote.
"The most interesting thing for me is where I can find the best restaurant," he said.
"But there is a lot of information relating to elections as well. It's a good way to pass the information on — especially for people where English is not their first language."
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The Advertiser
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Mr Hastie, a former Special Air Service Regiment troop commander during the war in Afghanistan, said he would be reluctant to send in troops and called for Australia to more clearly define its alliance with the US. "I think we need to talk about operationalising the alliance - building guardrails for combat operations and of course, defining our sovereignty," he said. "We're not just a vassal state, we're an ally and a partner." Mr Marles maintained Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was "most definitely a threat" to the peace and stability of the world, while also expressing concern about the conflict's escalation. "We recognise Israel's right to defend itself and we very much acknowledge the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents," he said. But now that it appears the dominoes have begun to fall, the world could soon have to reckon with the consequences, Mr Hastie warned. "I think it's very dangerous and risky," he said. 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President Donald Trump revealed the US had struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday through social media posts, explicitly aligning himself with Israel's campaign. Prior to Mr Trump's announcement, Australian officials across the political spectrum had grown concerned about the rapidly intensifying situation. "We are worried about the prospect for escalation here and this entering into some wider kind of conflict," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Sky News on Sunday. "We've been urging dialogue and diplomacy and we continue to do that now." At least 430 people have been killed and another 3500 injured in Iran according to Iranian media outlet Nour News, while local Israeli authorities have reported 24 civilian deaths and almost 1300 injuries. Though he hoped Iran would negotiate and surrender its nuclear program, opposition spokesman for home affairs Andrew Hastie predicted a strike would occur, mere minutes before the US president made his announcement. "I suspect diplomacy is probably going to fail here and we're going to see a strike of some sort," he told ABC's Insiders. "The next two weeks is going to be tough for innocent people in Israel and Iran who are caught in the middle of this war. "Iran needs to come to the table, or it's going to be a settlement by force and more people will die." The federal government has repeatedly insisted Australia is not a central player in the conflict, which was triggered in mid June when the Israeli military launched attacks on Iran in what it claimed was a bid to wipe out Iran's nuclear program. Australia has deployed defence assets to the region to assist in evacuation efforts, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong repeatedly maintaining they are not there to engage in combat. Mr Hastie, a former Special Air Service Regiment troop commander during the war in Afghanistan, said he would be reluctant to send in troops and called for Australia to more clearly define its alliance with the US. "I think we need to talk about operationalising the alliance - building guardrails for combat operations and of course, defining our sovereignty," he said. "We're not just a vassal state, we're an ally and a partner." Mr Marles maintained Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was "most definitely a threat" to the peace and stability of the world, while also expressing concern about the conflict's escalation. "We recognise Israel's right to defend itself and we very much acknowledge the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents," he said. But now that it appears the dominoes have begun to fall, the world could soon have to reckon with the consequences, Mr Hastie warned. "I think it's very dangerous and risky," he said. "We could see regime change, we could see a collapse of the Iranian regime, we'd see large scale migration and refugees across the world but particularly Europe." About 2600 Australians in Iran are seeking assisted departures from the region, alongside about 1200 in Israel as the government urges travellers not to venture to either nation. Staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs have evacuated the Tehran embassy and are helping Australians leave through the border in Azerbaijan. Some Australians have already left through land crossings but the government is also poised to help citizens leave once the airspace over both nations re-opens. With Reuters Australia has expressed concerns tensions in the Middle East could evolve into a broader conflict after the US joined Israel's offensive and attacked Iranian nuclear sites. President Donald Trump revealed the US had struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday through social media posts, explicitly aligning himself with Israel's campaign. Prior to Mr Trump's announcement, Australian officials across the political spectrum had grown concerned about the rapidly intensifying situation. "We are worried about the prospect for escalation here and this entering into some wider kind of conflict," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Sky News on Sunday. "We've been urging dialogue and diplomacy and we continue to do that now." At least 430 people have been killed and another 3500 injured in Iran according to Iranian media outlet Nour News, while local Israeli authorities have reported 24 civilian deaths and almost 1300 injuries. Though he hoped Iran would negotiate and surrender its nuclear program, opposition spokesman for home affairs Andrew Hastie predicted a strike would occur, mere minutes before the US president made his announcement. "I suspect diplomacy is probably going to fail here and we're going to see a strike of some sort," he told ABC's Insiders. "The next two weeks is going to be tough for innocent people in Israel and Iran who are caught in the middle of this war. "Iran needs to come to the table, or it's going to be a settlement by force and more people will die." The federal government has repeatedly insisted Australia is not a central player in the conflict, which was triggered in mid June when the Israeli military launched attacks on Iran in what it claimed was a bid to wipe out Iran's nuclear program. Australia has deployed defence assets to the region to assist in evacuation efforts, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong repeatedly maintaining they are not there to engage in combat. Mr Hastie, a former Special Air Service Regiment troop commander during the war in Afghanistan, said he would be reluctant to send in troops and called for Australia to more clearly define its alliance with the US. "I think we need to talk about operationalising the alliance - building guardrails for combat operations and of course, defining our sovereignty," he said. "We're not just a vassal state, we're an ally and a partner." 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Staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs have evacuated the Tehran embassy and are helping Australians leave through the border in Azerbaijan. Some Australians have already left through land crossings but the government is also poised to help citizens leave once the airspace over both nations re-opens. With Reuters Australia has expressed concerns tensions in the Middle East could evolve into a broader conflict after the US joined Israel's offensive and attacked Iranian nuclear sites. President Donald Trump revealed the US had struck three nuclear sites in Iran on Sunday through social media posts, explicitly aligning himself with Israel's campaign. Prior to Mr Trump's announcement, Australian officials across the political spectrum had grown concerned about the rapidly intensifying situation. "We are worried about the prospect for escalation here and this entering into some wider kind of conflict," Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles told Sky News on Sunday. "We've been urging dialogue and diplomacy and we continue to do that now." At least 430 people have been killed and another 3500 injured in Iran according to Iranian media outlet Nour News, while local Israeli authorities have reported 24 civilian deaths and almost 1300 injuries. Though he hoped Iran would negotiate and surrender its nuclear program, opposition spokesman for home affairs Andrew Hastie predicted a strike would occur, mere minutes before the US president made his announcement. "I suspect diplomacy is probably going to fail here and we're going to see a strike of some sort," he told ABC's Insiders. "The next two weeks is going to be tough for innocent people in Israel and Iran who are caught in the middle of this war. "Iran needs to come to the table, or it's going to be a settlement by force and more people will die." The federal government has repeatedly insisted Australia is not a central player in the conflict, which was triggered in mid June when the Israeli military launched attacks on Iran in what it claimed was a bid to wipe out Iran's nuclear program. Australia has deployed defence assets to the region to assist in evacuation efforts, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong repeatedly maintaining they are not there to engage in combat. Mr Hastie, a former Special Air Service Regiment troop commander during the war in Afghanistan, said he would be reluctant to send in troops and called for Australia to more clearly define its alliance with the US. "I think we need to talk about operationalising the alliance - building guardrails for combat operations and of course, defining our sovereignty," he said. "We're not just a vassal state, we're an ally and a partner." Mr Marles maintained Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was "most definitely a threat" to the peace and stability of the world, while also expressing concern about the conflict's escalation. "We recognise Israel's right to defend itself and we very much acknowledge the risk that the Iranian nuclear and ballistic missile program represents," he said. But now that it appears the dominoes have begun to fall, the world could soon have to reckon with the consequences, Mr Hastie warned. "I think it's very dangerous and risky," he said. "We could see regime change, we could see a collapse of the Iranian regime, we'd see large scale migration and refugees across the world but particularly Europe." About 2600 Australians in Iran are seeking assisted departures from the region, alongside about 1200 in Israel as the government urges travellers not to venture to either nation. Staff from the Department of Foreign Affairs have evacuated the Tehran embassy and are helping Australians leave through the border in Azerbaijan. Some Australians have already left through land crossings but the government is also poised to help citizens leave once the airspace over both nations re-opens. With Reuters
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2 hours ago
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