Peta Credlin: Gladys Liu is the least of our worries

The worst you can say of Gladys Liu is that she has been naive, writes Peta Credlin. But we cannot let that overshadow the Chinese government’s systematic attempts to turn Australians into agents of influence.

Let’s be clear. It’s not “racist” to ask questions when Victorian Liberal MP Gladys Liu has belonged to at least three local “front” organisations for the Chinese Communist Party.

Her evasiveness and faulty memory over what-she-belonged-to and when-she-belonged makes answers to those questions legitimate.

Then there are questions about donations and whether she’s had any personal support from organisations not adequately declared, too.

On the evidence so far, the worst you can say is that Liu appears to have been naive rather than disloyal.

Gladys Liu seems to be suffering from a faulty memory. Picture: Gary Ramage

So far, her case is not the same as former Labor senator Sam Dastyari’s, who pocketed Chinese money for personal use, directly contradicted Australian policy on the South China Sea and tipped off his Chinese contact about possible ASIO surveillance.

But the real issue here is not Gladys Lui.

It’s the Chinese government’s systematic attempts to turn Australians, especially Australians of Chinese ancestry, into agents of influence.

MORE FROM PETA CREDLIN: Australia’s future rests in the Hong Kong protests

If people, like Professor Clive Hamilton, are right the Chinese embassy is trying to control Australia’s Chinese-language media and mobilise Chinese students for Beijing’s ends, like breaking up pro-Hong Kong democracy demonstrations here.

That’s not to say that Chinese Australians do China’s bidding, but that China tries it on, is a real worry.

Of course, the last thing our government should do is make decent Australians, who just happen to have been born abroad, feel like potential traitors.

At the same time, decent and patriotic Australians of Chinese ancestry should not mind if our government takes strong steps to protect our national interest, because part of the very reason they have settled here is for the freedoms denied elsewhere.

Watch Peta Credlin on Sky News, weeknights from 6pm.