While I was visiting “down under” last Christmas, I watched with fleeting interest the constant coverage of a by-election in Sydney. It was precarious for the Liberal Party: Losing the Bennelong seat would wipe out Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s slim majority in parliament. Only now, on reading Clive Hamilton’s disturbing new book “Silent Invasion,” have I realized the full implications of that particular plebiscite.
The by-election was called after John Alexander, member of Parliament for Bennelong, was alleged to have dual citizenship, which would have invalidated his position. The Labor Party put up their most appealing candidate, Kristina Keneally, but despite the hype, Alexander held on. However, Sky News Australia omitted a major part of the story. Ironically, while the nationality rule is to prevent foreign influence, electoral pressure by the Chinese Communist Party almost toppled the Australian government.
