Scott Morrison responds on WeChat to Barry O’Sullivan’s Chinaman remark

Following backlash from the Chinese Australian community, Scott Morrison takes to WeChat to address Barry O’Sullivan’s remark.

PM Scott Morrison during Question Time in the House of Representatives Chamber at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

Scott Morrison today responded to the Chinese Australian community’s backlash to Nationals Senator Barry O’Sullivan’s “Chinaman” remark, after the Chinese embassy in Canberra said it was “deeply astonished” by the Senator’s comments.

Mr Morrison’s statement came amid increasing pressure from the Chinese Australian community in regard to Senator O’Sullivan’s remark in which he declared “some bloody old Chinaman with a sausage in his undies is more risk to Australia’s biosecurity than levy-paying importers” at Tuesday’s Senate hearing.

The Prime Minister said, via his newly launched official account on WeChat, that the statement made by Senator O’Sullivan does not represent his views or the views of the Liberal Nationals Government.

Nationals Senator Barry O'Sullivan. Picture: AAP

“Our nation is proud of the economic, cultural and political ties we share with China, strengthened by the contributions of those of Chinese descent in Australia,” Mr Morrison’s statement that has been translated into Mandarin language read.

“All Australians should value our diverse and harmonious society, and stand together in affirmation of the hard-won freedoms that allow us to live together in peace.”

Mr Morrison’s response came following the Chinese embassy’s strong objection to Mr O’Sullivan’s comments.

“We are deeply astonished by the disgusting and racist comments insulting Australian Chinese by Senator Barry O’Sullivan of the Nationals,” a short statement posted on the Embassy’s website said.

“The embassy expresses the strongest indignation and sternest condemnation!”

The Prime Minister, however, ignored Opposition leader Bill Shorten’s call for him to “show some leadership” and demand O’Sullivan apologise “immediately”.

“These comments are offensive to the Chinese Australian community and they have no place in our society,” said Mr Shorten in a statement published via his official Wechat account yesterday.

“Modern Australia and multicultural Australia are the same thing. It seems the Conservative government is stuck in the past — at every turn they attack citizenship and multicultural Australia”.

The Australian can reveal that many Chinese Australians have written to the Senator’s office today and received an automatic email reply.

The Australian has sought comment from Senator O’Sullivan.

The latest round of WeChat updates from both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader has also made the most popular tool among Australia’s Chinese community a more competitive battlefield for the upcoming election.

Mr Morrison has posted on his WeChat account twice so far this week, including a Lantern Festival greeting two days ago, while Mr Shorten has also posted twice including his response to the prolific amount of negative coverage of Labor’s medivac policy on the Chinese media platform.