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.
While the posts have had limited traction so far, the experts have highlighted them as an example of political disinformation being spread on a platform that is increasingly popular with Chinese Australians, who could decide the outcome in several marginal seats.
The experts from several Australian universities have raised concerns about a lack of regulatory capacity to identify disinformation in languages other than English languages that targets Australian audiences. The Australian Electoral Commission does not actively monitor Rednote.
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.
While Australia has previously made refugee resettlement deals with New Zealand and the US, these schemes were strictly limited and retrospective. There is no proposal to launch a broader scheme that may affect Chinese Australians.
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. At the time, Dutton raised concerns the migration system was not assessing whether migrants were committed to Australian values. There was no official announcement to strip citizenship, or any reference to Chinese migration.
The account used Dutton’s comments to claim “the migration pathway to Australia is getting harder” before encouraging people to apply for skilled migration visas through their business.
The Coalition’s campaign spokesperson, senator James Paterson, said the headline was “totally false and has the potential to mislead voters and scare Australians”.
Guardian Australia contacted the Rednote accounts and the education consultancy for comment.
Government agencies have been worried about migration agents spreading false information on Chinese social media to win clients for many years. But in the midst of an election campaign, there are concerns that it could sway votes.
REcapture, a group of Australian researchers based at major universities who specialise in Rednote, agreed with Paterson that the information could influence Australian voters who lacked a detailed understanding of the migration system.
Several key electorates – including the ultra-marginal seat of Bennelong, which was won by Labor in 2022 with a margin of just 0.1% – have significant Chinese Australian populations.
“Chinese Australian voters are diverse in their motivations,” the REcapture group said in a statement. “Some vote based on partisan alignment, others on policy positions, and some on the representativeness of their interests.
“Disinformation related to political parties, policies and candidates can significantly influence voter decisions, shaping perceptions and electoral outcomes.”
The group of academics 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”.
A spokesperson for the Australian Electoral Commission said that while it did not proactively monitor Rednote, it was able to “view the platform when needed” and could respond to complaints. The posts are now being reviewed.
“The AEC does not play a role around the content of political speech unless it specifically relates to Australia’s electoral system,” an AEC spokesperson said.
“We encourage all voters to stop and consider the messages they see online, especially if the message is coming from a person they don’t know on social media.
“With the election officially called, it’s really important for everybody to be aware that they could encounter false or misleading information online.”
The home affairs department and the Labor campaign were contacted for comment.
