The Federal Government's foreign influence laws have received criticism from the Chinese community, with some Australians of Chinese heritage saying they felt their loyalty was being doubted.
The main point of contention is the new Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme, which quietly came into effect earlier this month, and works as a publicly available list of political lobbyists working "on behalf of" a foreign power.
Leaders within Australia's Chinese communities are frustrated with the law's ambiguous language,as well as the lack of consultation, which has left many unsure about whether they needed to sign up. Former Victorian Labor politician Hong Lim says the community ‘found the bill condescending, patronising and insulting to the Chinese community.’