The former Liberal MP Gladys Liu has demanded a “heartfelt apology” from Senator Jane Hume over her remarks claiming “Chinese spies” could be handing out pamphlets for Labor at voting booths, calling it an inflammatory and “damaging” accusation.
The scathing statement from Liu, the first Chinese Australian woman elected to the House of Representatives, said Hume’s baseless claims had sparked “anger and confusion” in the Chinese community. In a separate open letter, co-signed by several Chinese Australian community associations, the Chinese Community Council of Australia’s Victorian chapter (CCCAV) called Hume’s claims “offensive and unjust”.
In the final week of the election campaign, Hume, a senior Liberal senator from Victoria and the shadow finance minister, claimed some Chinese Australians handing out how-to-vote cards for Labor may have been “Chinese spies”.
Her remarks were in response to media reporting that a Chinese community association, which was allegedly linked to China’s Communist party, was handing out election material for Labor and teal candidates, including Clare O’Neil.
“There might be Chinese spies that are, you know, handing out for you,” Hume told O’Neil on Channel Seven’s Sunrise.
O’Neil had said her office declined the offer of volunteers.
After Hume’s claims, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, recorded WeChat videos hammering the Liberals and speaking in Mandarin. Suburbs with significant Chinese Australian populations in key marginal seats recorded huge swings to Labor of up to 30%, as analysts warned the Liberals had failed to rebuild trust with the community.
When asked for comment and her response to both Liu’s statement and that of the CCCAV, Hume noted that the Australian Electoral Commission was investigating this matter.
“We will await the outcome of this investigation,” a spokesperson for the senator told Guardian Australia.
“It is deeply concerning that the Minister for Foreign Affairs would politicise an issue as important as possible foreign interference in our election.”
It’s understood that Hume meant her comments on Sunrise to refer specifically to the issues raised in media reports, not as a reflection on all Chinese Australians. The Liberal party also had Chinese Australians helping on voting booths and in volunteer efforts.
Liu, who was elected in 2019 for the seat of Chisholm but defeated at the 2022 poll by Labor’s Carina Garland, said it was “absolutely justified for the Chinese community across the nation to demand Senator Hume clarify her remarks”.
Liu has requested an apology from the Liberal party organisation. The Liberal party was contacted for comment.
“I was outraged and deeply troubled when I heard senator Jane Hume’s irresponsible statement on morning TV,” Liu said.
“This baseless accusation is not only inflammatory but also damaging.
“The immediate questions that arise are: Chinese spies? Who are these supposed spies? What do they look like? And more disturbingly, for the Chinese community: will I be viewed as a spy? Do I need to prove that I am not a spy? How on earth do I even begin to prove that?
“The Chinese community deserves a clear explanation and a heartfelt apology. This kind of rhetoric has no place in our society and it is imperative that we confront and challenge it with the utmost vigour.”
Despite a strong campaign from the former Liberal MP Katie Allen, Labor held Chisholm with an increased margin, with Garland holding the seat with a 55-45 two-party vote, a swing of nearly 2%.
In an open letter, the CCCAV also requested an apology from Hume, saying the Chinese Australian community was “deeply concerned by the unsubstantiated remarks”, claiming Hume’s comments “cast unwarranted suspicion on Chinese-Australian volunteers involved in the 2025 federal election campaign”.
“Senator Hume’s public comments, made without evidence, have fostered negative and unfair perceptions that undermine the legitimacy of Chinese-Australian civic engagement. Many individuals in our community, who were exercising their democratic rights as Australian citizens, have found these implications to be both offensive and unjust.
“Suggesting or implying that Chinese-Australians engaging in lawful campaign activity are somehow untrustworthy is not only discriminatory but also detrimental to the principle of equality that is fundamental to the Australian society. Such irresponsible remarks promote racial profiling, undermine the equal status of Chinese-Australians in public life, and discourage civic involvement by fostering an atmosphere of suspicion based solely on cultural background.”
