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Senator insists Chinese-Australians condemn CCP at inquiry on diaspora issues, sparking backlash
- Senator Eric Abetz’s demands at the inquiry about diversity in Australia sparked accusations he was waging a ‘McCarthyist campaign’ against Chinese-Australians
- Former PM Kevin Rudd called the attack ‘repugnant’ and said the government should refrain from using race-based panic in its defence of national interests
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An Australian senator who questioned the loyalty of three prominent Chinese-Australians at a parliament inquiry and demanded they condemn the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has sparked a public backlash and a potential investigation into his conduct.
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Eric Abetz, a German-born senator who was part of a Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade public inquiry about issues facing diaspora communities, monopolised the session and attempted to force Osmond Chiu, Wesa Chau and Jiang Yun to denounce China’s government.
Chau said she was looking into whether Abetz had breached a senator’s code of conduct that would warrant a public apology and censure in the senate.
Abetz’s line of questioning prompted accusations the government was waging a “McCarthyist campaign”, with former prime minister Kevin Rudd wading into the issue, calling the incident “repugnant”.
“These exchanges remind me of US Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hearings into ‘un-American activities’ in the 1950s,” he told This Week in Asia.
“Abetz showed no interest in listening to these Australians’ insights about the challenges faced by ethnic minorities in our country. Instead, his attitude only illustrated these pressures more vividly,” Rudd said.
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The former leader said the attempt to force the trio into making black-and-white statements could have come at a cost to their families.
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