Chinese MP says plot to replace him with union official will cost Labor votes

LABOR MP Ernest Wong has spoken out about a party plot to replace him with a union organiser, declaring it will hurt the party’s crucial Chinese vote.

Luke Foley attends a Chinese community rally with Ernest Wong in Sydney. Source: Facebook

LABOR MP Ernest Wong has spoken out about a party plot to replace him with a union organiser, declaring it will hurt the party’s crucial Chinese vote and cause “resentment” in a string of must-win electorates.

It comes as another Labor source admitted there is a “bamboo ceiling problem” in the NSW Parliament, after tensions ­mounted across the party about race representation on the back of Opposition Leader Luke Foley’s “white flight” remarks.

NSW Upper House MP Ernest Wong visits Chinese officials in Guangzhou.

Mr Wong, who has been advised he is unlikely to have party support to retain his upper house spot, told The Daily Telegraph he had grave concerns about the impact the plot to replace him with a union official would have.

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Electrical Trades Union organiser Mark Buttigieg is expected to take the winnable spot on Labor’s ticket.

Mr Wong was at pains to point out he was not anti-union, but said the switch sent the wrong message to the voting community.

Ernest Wong is the man in the ALP hot seat as talk emerges of a “bamboo ceiling problem” in the party.

Ernest Wong said Chinese voters had a tendency to choose people over party.

“The union is an important part of the Labor Party and no one ­denies that,” he said.

“But we should look at the community the party represents. That community must not be under-represented.”

The Daily Telegraph revealed yesterday the issue of race representation had bubbled to the surface as a key concern among several high-level insiders after Mr Foley’s blunder last week.

Several senior Labor sources agreed it was possible there were better candidates than Mr Wong for the upper house spot, but said the damage his removal would do to the party’s standing in the Chinese community was significant.

“There is a bamboo ceiling problem in the NSW parliament. This is something we need to be conscious of and address,” one source said.

“That does not necessarily mean Ernest is the answer.”

And Mr Wong said the Chinese community had a tendency to choose people over party when it came to voting. “That’s how this will affect the vote,” he said.

Mr Wong said he understood Chinese voters had written letters to both party office, their local representatives and even Mr Foley about the issue. “I am very concerned about our party representing our people, when it comes to cultural differences,” he said.

The Chinese vote is concentrated in key seats Labor is targeting, including Oatley, Drum­moyne and Ryde. It is also a dominant factor in seats the party needs to hold, including Kogarah, Strathfield and Mr Foley’s own seat of Auburn. Mr Foley said questions about Mr Wong and Chinese representation were a matter for party office.