Dancing with the Panda: Chinese Australians and the 2022 Australian election

Abstract

The Chinese and broader Asian electorate in Australia has been historically fragmented. However, in the 2022 election Chinese Australian voters played a significant role in the defeat of Scott Morrison's Coalition as they swung toward Labor and independents in several constituencies. This occurred in the greater Sydney area, such as in Reid and Bennelong, as well as in Melbourne's Chisholm and Perth's Tangney. This article investigates Chinese Australians' voting patterns in the 2022 election. It argues that Chinese Australian voters, like many Australians, were concerned about Morrison's personal style and attitudes toward climate change. In this election Chinese Australians shared additional displeasure over the Morrison government's approach towards the Australia–China relationship and the changing Pacific strategic environment. Nevertheless, these attitudes do not suggest that Chinese Australian voters represent a monolithic voting bloc in the Australian electorate. There are diverse dynamics that have been manifested in Chinese Australian communities' attitudes towards key election issues, from local government to foreign policy. While Chinese Australians favoured Labor's overall multicultural and more inclusive approach, it may be too simplistic to generalise that the Chinese Australian electorate can be characterised as a traditional 'ethnic vote' in which ethnic communities are heavily influenced by issues related to their countries of origin and culture rather than their duties as Australian citizens.