Disinformation experts have accused migration agents of sharing false information about Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton on the Chinese social media app Rednote to win clients, including claims Australia has turned “wicked” and is actively targeting Chinese people.
One Photoshopped image published by a migration consultancy earlier this month carried the headline “Australia turns wicked, targeting ten thousand Chinese people” alongside an image of the prime minister. The post falsely claimed the Albanese government had proposed “a very controversial plan” to expel non-citizens to a third-party nation, which would affect Chinese Australians and their families. There is no such plan.
A separate 28 February post by a migration agency account based in China splashed the headline “Australia officially announced to cancel citizenship” alongside a photograph of Dutton. The post referred to comments the opposition made in response to two Sydney nurses allegedly making antisemitic comments. There was no official announcement to strip citizenship, or any reference to Chinese migration.
The Coalition’s campaign spokesperson, senator James Paterson, said the headline was “totally false and has the potential to mislead voters and scare Australians”. The Australian Electoral Commission said it did not proactively monitor Rednote but could respond to complaints, and the posts are now being reviewed.
REcapture, a group of Australian researchers based at major universities who specialise in Rednote, said the posts appeared to be examples of “commercially driven disinformation where immigration and education businesses exploit and capitalise on existing fears and anxieties among Chinese migrants”. Several key electorates with significant Chinese Australian populations, including the ultra-marginal seat of Bennelong, could be influenced.
