Liberal aspirant’s new novel sparks concerns among Chinese Australians

The plot of Liberal aspirant Mark Wales’ new novel has caused uneasiness among the Asian and Chinese communities.

Former SAS soldier Mark Wales’ book has drawn the ire of ethnic Chinese communities in Western Australia. Picture: Facebook

The Liberal Party’s efforts to reclaim the crucial Western Australian seat of Tangney have hit a road bump after revelations about a soon-to-be-released book by the party’s leading contender sparked concerns among the seat’s substantial ethnic community.

Mark Wales – a former SAS soldier turned reality television contestant, motivational speaker and Liberal Party aspirant – has come under fire after it was revealed he had written a dystopian novel about a future Australia that falls into conflict after being destabilised by the Chinese Communist Party.

While the book has not yet been released, the reported themes have caused uneasiness in the Asian and Chinese communities. Tony Chong, the president of the Western Australia Chinese Chamber of Commerce, told The Australian that he was concerned that such portrayals could cause issues for the Asian community.

Western Australia Chinese Chamber of Commerce president Tony Chong. Picture: WACCC

“The community feels, rightly or wrongly, that they are being attacked or singled out unnecessarily. If you’re trying to promote a country as multicultural, this is not the way to do it,” Mr Chong said.

He noted that trade relations between Australia and China were still healing after the tensions during the final years of the Morrison government, with Mr Wales’ book – and his political aspirations – potentially reopening old wounds.

“This doesn’t help when we are trying to resolve trade issues with China,” he said.

“I can see that the government is doing good things to repair those trade issues, and I don’t think something like this helps in any way.”

Tangney, which has the highest multicultural population of any WA seat, is one of the key seats that the Liberals must win at the next election if it is to return to government. It was the second-safest Liberal seat in the state behind Curtin, before both those seats were lost in the 2022 election.

Tangney suffered a bigger than average swing of 11.88 per cent, with Scott Morrison’s tough rhetoric towards China in the lead-up to the election, including his calls for a probe into China’s role in the origins of Covid, and his close ties to then Tangney incumbent Ben Morton believed to have hurt the party’s support in areas with a higher ethnic Chinese population.

Han Hee, the secretary of the Asian Community Council of Western Australia, told The Weekend Australian he had been contacted by multiple people in the Asian community who were uneasy about Mr Wales’ book.

“The concern would be that a book published by someone running for a seat like Tangney could lead to a negative leaning towards the Asian and Chinese community,” Mr Hee said.

Suresh Rajah, a community advocate and former president of the Ethnic Communities Council of WA, said Australia’s history of “yellow peril” fears meant Asian Australians were particularly sensitive to any allusion to invasion.

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“When these sorts of novels talk about an invasion from this group of people, it is really just exacerbating that stereotype that has been created,” he said.

“Anything that brings back to the fore some of those stereotypes from many years ago is going to be quite difficult in its impact on some of those communities.”

Some 16.5 per cent of Tangney residents describe themselves as ethnic Chinese, which is the highest such figure in any federal seat in WA and is five times the WA average. Tangney was won in 2022 by Labor’s Sam Lim, who himself has Chinese Malay heritage and who cultivated strong ties to Tangney’s ethnic and religious communities.

In a statement, Mr Wales said he would encourage people to read the book and make up their own minds about its themes.

“The novel is about a fictional future. I wrote it to explore ideas about freedom, relationships and the importance of family,” he said. “Novels tell a story. They don’t determine policy.”

A proof version of the book, which has been shared with senior party figures, has a cover that shows a silhouetted figure carrying an assault rival beneath the heading ‘Meet your new favourite action hero’. The tagline reads, ‘Jack Dunne will do anything to save his son’.

A proof copy of the new novel by Liberal preselection hopeful Mark Wales. Picture: Supplied

Mark Wales on Australian Survivor. Picture: Facebook

Mr Wales’ work is not the first time that a Liberal’s literary ambitions have caused headaches for the party in the seat of Tangney.

Long-serving Tangney MP Dennis Jensen lost his preselection for the seat months after it was revealed that he had written a novel about a war between Australia and Indonesia during his time in parliament. He had also drafted a letter to a potential publisher on parliamentary letterhead.

Mr Wales is considered a narrow favourite in a crowded field for the Tangney preselection. He is being heavily backed by Canning MP Andrew Hastie and has received a letter of endorsement from former prime minister Tony Abbott.

The quality of the candidates in the mix for what was once a blue-chip seat has raised some eyebrows within the party.

On top of the concerns around his new book, some Liberals have privately expressed concern about the fact Mr Wales only joined the party just before he applied for preselection.

Another leading contender, 26-year-old lawyer and former Ben Morton staffer Sean Ayres, was not even born when John Howard became prime minister.

The other frontrunner, IT consultant Howard Ong, has ties to the Australian Christian Lobby, having been part of a delegation that met with Mr Lim last year.

Another nominee, former City of Canning councillor Jesse Jacobs, is facing criminal charges over his alleged theft of election corflutes of council rival Patrick Hall. Mr Hall had also put his hand up for preselection but dropped out when it became clear that Mr Jacobs was also running.

Mr Wales’ novel, titled Outrider, is due for release in June.