Ted Hui Chi-fung, the exiled former Hong Kong lawmaker who now resides in Australia, recently joined the Liberal Party of Australia.
Joining Liberal Party in Australia
On April 24, Mr. Hui and Kevin Yam, the founding co-convenor of now-defunct Hong Kong Progressive Lawyers Group, announced that they had joined two major political parties in Australia. Mr. Yam has joined the Australian Labor Party for about one year, and Mr. Hui has recently joined the Liberal Party of Australia.“After all, most influential figures in Australian politics joined the parties at a very young age. Comparatively, we are quite old when joining, and it’s impossible to compare us to people who started in their 20s.”
They wrote that there were three main reasons for their joining a political party. First, they wanted to maintain contact with political figures, bringing Hong Kong immigrants’ voices into mainstream political parties.
Second, to encourage Hong Kong immigrants to actively participate in Australian party politics by setting an example.
Third, as new members of the Australian family, they firmly believe that Hong Kong immigrants to Australia can uphold the democratic spirit of the 2019 anti-extradition bill movement and actively participate in social affairs in their new homeland as concerned Australian citizens.
“We have no intention or expectation of achieving personal goals in Australian politics, but if we can set an example and encourage more Hong Kong immigrants to actively participate in party politics, defending the rights of Hong Kong immigrants and contributing to Australian democratic institutions, we will be very satisfied,” they wrote.
‘We Are a Part of Them’
According to Mr. Hui, Hongkongers have a long immigration history in Australia, spanning several decades, but lack political participation at various levels.“On one hand, [they] feel that ‘I am not part of the mainstream society, they may not let me participate,’ so there is a bit of such passivity. On the other hand, newer immigrants may feel that ‘I immigrated to this country to reinvest in this country, not to bring over here what I want to fight for in Hong Kong,’ so they may not feel very compatible and don’t participate,” he told The Epoch Times on May 1.
“In addition, some people feel that, ‘in the past few years… I haven’t been here long enough and haven’t established a sense of belonging to participate in society and politics.”
He encouraged more Hongkongers to join the local community and politics.
“Let the locals feel that what you’re fighting for in Hong Kong and worldwide is not just a matter of values or affairs in another place but something that concerns us all,” he said.
“Since the wave of people fleeing Hong Kong in 2019, many have immigrated; it’s been almost five years. Many people have settled down… I think they should have a little bit of sense of belonging [now].
“Now is a good time to propose that we make adjustments together and engage in some bigger political participation together.”
Exiled Overseas
In December 2020, Mr. Hui left Hong Kong and initially sought refuge in the UK through Denmark before arriving in Australia in March 2021. He announced that with stable pandemic conditions in Australia, he would seize the time to continue international lobbying and vowed to fight back for Hong Kong with his fellow Hongkoners.Continued Lobbying After Being Attacked
However, Mr. Hui was assaulted at a restaurant in Sydney on Aug. 7, 2022.According to a witness, a Cantonese-speaking man in his 50s verbally threatened Mr. Hui and doused him with water at the restaurant.
Mr. Hui urged the Australian government to thoroughly investigate the incident to prevent CCP infiltration and safeguard Australia’s freedom and civilization.
The attacker, Billy Kwok, was later convicted of two counts of criminal intimidation and one count of assault, sentenced to a 12-month community correction order and fined AU$500 ($326).
After the attack, Mr. Hui continued to participate in social movements and lobbying efforts.
On Dec. 10, 2022, International Human Rights Day, he stood in front of the South Australian Parliament House with the Vietnamese community and Falun Gong practitioners to condemn the CCP’s serious human rights abuses.
In January 2023, he met with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to discuss Hong Kong and international human rights issues.
Mr. Hui mentioned that Ms. Wong is among the few incumbent officials willing to meet with him openly in his international political lobbying efforts. While the meeting may have caused pressure from Beijing, Ms. Wong insisted on doing so, which could be considered a breakthrough for the Hong Kong community’s work on international connectivity.
Sentenced to 3.5 Years in Prison
In September 2022, Mr. Hui was convicted of four counts of contempt of court and sentenced to three and a half years prison in absentia in Hong Kong.Mr. Hui responded with contempt, stating that it’s tyranny and Hong Kong courts under the National Security Law had become “courts of the Communist Party.” He vowed to continue fighting for the freedom of Hongkongers.
The charges included inciting others to cast blank votes or abstain from voting in the Legislative Council election; conspiring to subvert state power under the Hong Kong National Security Law for participating in the 2020 democratic primaries; contempt of court charges for violating bail conditions and being absent from court hearings; suspected criminal damage and intent to obstruct justice; and suspected violations of the Legislative Council (Powers and Privileges) Ordinance during a Legislative Council meeting in 2020.
Wanted On $120,000 Bounty
On July 3, 2023, the Hong Kong police offered bounties of HK$1 million ($128,000) each for eight overseas individuals suspected of violating the National Security Law, including Mr. Hui, accusing him of advocating “Hong Kong independence” and foreign sanctions against Hong Kong.Mr. Hui stated that the bounty made democratic countries more aware that the CCP was adopting more extreme authoritarianism.
Wanted Criminal Becomes Lawyer in Australia
Despite the Hong Kong authorities’ continuing efforts to suppress him, Mr. Hui formally became a practicing lawyer in South Australia in August 2023 after taking an oath and passing a character assessment.When applying for the qualification, Mr. Hui declared his criminal record in Hong Kong, including the HK$1 million bounty under the National Security Law, contempt of court charges, contempt of the Legislative Council, and assault. He reported a total of 23 charges and seven wanted warrants, jokingly calling himself “the lawyer with the most criminal records in Australia.”
After considering the long list of his charges, the judicial institutions and legal professional bodies in Australia still ruled that he had good character and was suitable to become a lawyer.
Mr. Hui described the decision as “a slap in the face” to the Hong Kong authorities.
“The legal community in Australia has clearly shown to the world which side of history they stand on between freedom and authoritarianism,” he said.
Mr. Hui currently practices as a solicitor at a local law firm in downtown Adelaide, specializing in civil and commercial law. He said that as a Hongkonger who had personally experienced Hong Kong police brutality and the aftermath of the National Security Law, he would try his best to provide legal support to those who were similarly persecuted by the Hong Kong authorities.
He felt both excitement and trepidation about becoming a lawyer, practicing in a place where he had only lived for two years.
Apart from the law, there were also many cultural and traditional aspects of the local legal profession that he needed to learn and explore gradually, and he would accumulate experience in legal work “like practicing martial arts.”
“It’s not impossible that one day, those who are now aggressively suppressing Hong Kong’s freedom will be subject to criminal trials and accused of violating human rights in international courts,” he said.
