Victorian Liberal MP Tim Wilson has suggested authoritarian regimes like China and Russia want a hung parliament in Australia so they can take advantage of the government being distracted to get what they want.
Wilson, who is under threat from independent “teal” candidate Zoe Daniel in the Melbourne bayside electorate of Goldstein, has made national security a major theme in a final pitch to voters.
Goldstein MP Tim Wilson.Credit:Photo: Simon Schluter
In a video message to be distributed widely from Tuesday afternoon, Wilson talks up his role in blocking a proposed extradition treaty with China in 2017.
He says the region is becoming “more dangerous” and “only a confident Australia will steer us through”.
“Authoritarian governments want our country to turn inward so they can advance their interests while we are distracted,” Wilson says in the video. “And a hung Parliament would deliver just that – distraction.”
The comments imply China would benefit from a hung parliament because Australia would be not focusing on the region to deter Beijing from making further gains in the wake of its controversial security deal with Solomon Islands.
Wilson appears to take a swipe at independent candidates such as Daniel, suggesting they want a hung parliament to further their own interests.
“Some candidates even want a hung parliament because it will empower themselves,” he says.
“Australia simply can’t afford the weakness and divisions of a hung parliament right now.”
Wilson is a founding member of the “Wolverines”, a bipartisan group of federal politicians established to speak up against China’s growing assertiveness.
The Coalition has been looking to campaign on its record in standing up to China, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton repeatedly claiming Labor would be weak.
But national security and China hasn’t so far featured as a major battleground in the contest between Liberals and the teal independents. Daniel has instead focused on her three priority policies of climate, integrity and gender equality.
The independent candidate this week told The Age she didn’t rule out backing the Coalition in a hung parliament. And unlike current independent MP Zali Stegall in Warringah, Daniel declared that Morrison as leader was not a dealbreaker.
“The leader of the party is not crucial,” Daniel said.
Along with Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s seat of Kooyong, and North Sydney and Wentworth in NSW, Goldstein is believed to be under serious threat for the Coalition.
In the video, Wilson says he is a “huge optimist about Australia’s future” but projecting national strength requires “unity and stability”.
“We’ve blocked an extradition treaty with authoritarian China. We delivered marriage equality together. Stopped Labor’s retiree tax, and secured a plan to net-zero by 2050,” he says.
“New challenges sit on the horizon, and there’s a lot at stake. Our region is becoming more dangerous and only a confident Australia will steer us through.”
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