A video shared thousands of times on a Chinese social media platform claiming a re-elected Albanese government would adopt “the far-left agenda” of the Greens and potentially seize vacant homes was created by a member of a WeChat group campaigning for the Liberal party in a marginal Melbourne seat.
The six-minute video, narrated by a woman who refers to herself as Auntie Guoer, also claims any minority Albanese government that might rely on the Greens would “crackdown on the middle class” and lead to the decline of “traditional social structures”.
Screenshots obtained by Guardian Australia show Auntie Guoer became a member of a WeChat group called the “Aston Liberal Party campaign group” in August 2024. Aston is a Labor-held marginal seat in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs that is being targeted by the Liberals. It has one of the largest Chinese-Australian communities in Victoria.
Auntie Guoer confirmed she was a member of the group when contacted by Guardian Australia and described herself as a longtime supporter of the Liberal party, though not a financial member. She said she voluntarily made the video, which had so far been shared close to 2,000 times.
The voting intentions of the Chinese-Australian community could decide the outcome of several marginal seats including Menzies, Aston and Chisholm in Melbourne, and Bennelong in Sydney. Guardian Australia has revealed Chinese content creators on WeChat and Rednote are increasingly sharing political content to influence voters.
The video was referred to the Australian Electoral Commission for consideration by Dr Corinne Ang, who alleged it contained misinformation designed to sway the voting intentions of Chinese Australians.
The video’s political message is broadcast over vision of a woman painting furniture, and tending to geese, goats and bees in a large back yard, set to traditional Chinese music. The woman’s voiceover in Mandarin is accompanied by subtitled captions in Mandarin and English.
The video claims the Greens want to ban the purchase of investment homes without solar energy and describes Greens policies as “an undisguised plunder” on the middle class. It suggests Anthony Albanese is not opposed to the Greens policy platform.
“In the face of the radical policy of the Green party, the Labor party is not firmly against it,” the video claims. “Instead, it frequently compromises.”
“The Labor party has acquiesced in the compulsory solar energy [program] of the Green party, making it enter the reading stage in parliament.”
Labor has no plans to force people to install solar panels, but has announced financial incentives for people that do so. The Coalition has flagged similar policies.
The video states that many voters may believe they are voting for a “gentle person” but end up with someone “full of radical ideas”. It urges viewers to think carefully before voting, and warns of wealth distribution.
“If you oppose the radical policies of the Green party, but mistakenly thought the Labor party is still the ruling party that is balanced and rational, you may help the Greens get the key to enter the power centre,” the video says.
Captions on the video also incorrectly claim the Greens had proposed the “forced collection of vacant homes from private landlords”.
Auntie Guoer said that she had “never been asked to create videos by anyone” and that “any critics who think my videos contain incorrect information can directly contact me”.
“I always acknowledge the belief of the Liberal party,” Auntie Guoer said.
An AEC spokesperson told Guardian Australia it was “not the arbiter of truth in communications or the internet police”.
“Our advice to all voters is to stop and consider the source of information people are hearing, reading or seeing,” an AEC spokesperson said. “If you can’t determine the source, consider other or multiple sources. We’re also encouraging all voters to have a healthy level of scepticism for any communication.”
The Greens spokesperson for democracy, Larissa Waters, said the video was an attempt to “influence voters with misinformation about the Greens”.
“The AEC will only be able to consider the missing authorisation statement and not the misleading information in the video, as there are still no laws that require truth in political advertising,” Waters said.
The Labor campaign declined to comment.
